Floodwaters going receding, neighbors in Felton now cleaning up
FELTON, Calif., (KION-TV)- The water appears to be receding in some Santa Cruz County neighborhoods. While the winter storms aren't over, the focus is on the cleanup.
For people who lived in one Felton neighborhood, everything happened so quickly. The rain was hammering down as the water rose. What remains now is mud and a large cleanup effort.
Floodwaters were so high, people were getting rescued by jet skis.
“People were rescued earlier,” said Linda Orengo. “They brought in an inflatable and a sea-doo.”
The water began flowing into Orengo's backyard, submerging parts of it.
“It's been pretty chaotic,” said Orengo. “A lot of different things to handle. A lot of friends that are concerned and you want to keep them updated too. It's been quite an experience.”
Their dog, Riley, would run and around in play in the backyard, but now there’s no backyard left. It’s all flooded. Orengo told KION Riley can’t get the exercise he’s using to getting and what’s happened has left him confused.
In the five years the Orengo's have lived in Felton, this is the first time they've experienced a flood this bad. They're learning to roll with the punches.
“We'll learn a lot from this and be better prepared for next time,” said Orengo.
The storm was so strong and powerful it also knocked down a tree, taking power lines with. Driving into the neighborhood people are already cleaning up, sweeping all the mud and debris.
Mark Whitcomb just bought this house only three months ago. His family hadn't even moved in, they were still working on the house. The basement is now a complete mess.
“It's going to take a while to clean out,” said Whitcomb. “We're right here along the river. The river is our backyard.”
The water even took out his boat and dock landing just a few houses down from him.
Whitecomb said it's probably take a month to repair all the damage the water left behind.
But despite everything that's happened, Whitcomb doesn't regret moving to their neighborhood in Felton. He knew flooding was an issue but didn't expect it would happen this soon.
