CA mobile home evacuees still can’t return home

ACAMPO, Calif. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - In California, an evacuation order remains in place for a mobile home near Sacramento.

That's one week after rising water trapped people in their homes.

Furthermore, County emergency officials now say the threat has now evolved into a new issue; structurally unsafe and possibly contaminated homes.

The situation also has many people who evacuated upset that they can't get back to their homes.

While the floodwater had ceased, the threat remains high.

County emergency officials tell CBS13 that the Arbor Mobile Home Park will remain under evacuation orders until crews can come out and make sure the homes are safe.

Misinformation

"On Monday hopefully. And check all the houses before they give the okay to come back and move in."

Julian Lopez, one of several neighbors who thought they could return home Saturday, but instead had to turn away.

"They told us if we left we wouldn't be able to come back inside," Lopez spoke.

Misinformation, just another added stressor for families displaced a week who got their hopes up of finally coming home.

"Very frustrating," said evacuee Michele Perez.

Sheriff's deputies, guarding the neighborhood's entrance, are taking residents in and out for a quick trip, only to grab essentials.

"My daughter has to get her medication. So, the sheriff took her to our mobile home," Perez continued.

Left with no answers

Evacuees also said about 30 people and another dozen pets have been staying at the Lodi Grape Festival grounds for a week; waiting for that all clear to go home.

"Everything needs to be inspected and approved before we can and we have no official information on how long that's gonna take," said Brad Hendrickson, another evacuee.

Hendrickson is on his seventh day, sleeping at the Red Cross shelter in Lodi.

He and fellow Acampo evacuees say they're left with no answers.

"The information flow has really been lacking. We don't know who is in charge of telling us what is happening or what the plan is," Hendrickson continued.

We asked county emergency officials on why people can't come home yet.

They said there's still no power, and the fear is that homes could be structurally unsafe from all that standing water and possible contamination.

"A lot of these homes up front are pretty well destroyed and covered in feces water," Hendrickson concluded.

Stuck at home

Austin Jackson, among the dozen families who chose not to evacuate, remains stuck at home for a week.

"We're just kind of hanging in there. We got generators to keep us afloat for now, but the no power things has been quite the struggle."

Jackson also said, they've toughed it out this long, so they'll stay, relying on food and supplies, brought in by neighbors.