Sacramento Condo Residents Clean Up Flood Damage


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(Sacramento, CA)
Tuesday, January 3, 2006

The small patch of lawn in front of Judy Lambert’s condo is piled high with flood-damaged debris.

"We’re just trying to move things out and you can see the mess around here of Pergo and carpet and furniture because if you leave it in there the smell is really bad."

Lambert and her husband were flooded with 2 1/2 feet of water. They were able to save some furniture and other items by moving them to the upstairs part of their condo. But she says many of her neighbors weren’t so lucky. "We’re all pretty shaken, particularly those that only have a one-bedroom, on the bottom floor, I mean everything’s gone, everything so they’re just totally devastated and people kind of walk around looking dazed."

More than 60 Woodside units were flooded when water from nearby Strong Ranch slough overflowed last weekend. The canal carries water out to the American River.

This isn’t the first time it’s flooded at Woodside. Lambert went through the same thing back in 1997 but she says this time they weren’t caught too much off guard.

"My husband and I were a little bit more prepared for it because we have flood insurance which we didn’t before but it’s still pretty disturbing that this had to happen again."

Some residents say the county should have done a better job of warning them about flood risks.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are expected to meet with Woodside residents this weekend.