LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport on Tuesday lifted mandatory evacuations for two of the four neighborhoods that residents were forced to leave two weeks ago due to flooding, with officials continuing to work on solutions for those who may not be able to return home soon.
Residents of the Lucky 4 Trailer Resort, 1060 N. Main St., and Aqua Village Mobile Home Park, 1350 S. Main St., were allowed to go home late on Tuesday afternoon after having been out of their homes since Feb. 20.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen told the Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night that the evacuations remain in place for the Esplanade Street area, where water levels are still high.
Also not able to go home are residents of Will-O-Point Resort at 1 First St., where the state red-tagged all 41 homes in the lakeside resort last week. Rasmussen said he hopes to have a plan in place on Wednesday to give controlled access to those residents in order to retrieve important items from their homes.
On Tuesday night, the Lakeport City Council voted unanimously to continue an emergency declaration first made last month by City Attorney Margaret Silveira due to the flooding.
Clear Lake’s elevation on Tuesday afternoon hovered just below 9.2 feet Rumsey. Flood stage is 9 feet Rumsey, and the lake’s level is expected to fall below that level and into the monitor stage late Wednesday, according to Lake County Water Resources Director Phil Moy.
Shortly before the council meeting began Tuesday evening, the Governor’s Office announced that Gov. Jerry Brown had requested a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster state and local recovery efforts following the late January storms that impacted the state, and also issued two emergency proclamations due to storms in late January and February that impacted dozens of counties, including Lake.
Lakeport Public Works Director Doug Grider reported that his crews were able to complete one of his top priorities on Tuesday– reopening a portion of Lakeshore Drive between Giselman Street and Lange Street. That portion of the road had first been closed Feb. 10.
He said crews have set up barriers on Lakeshore Boulevard where it’s been determined that there has been undermining of the roadway.
Rasmussen said that area where Lakeshore Boulevard has been undermined – from Lange Street to 100 feet north of Jones Street – will be monitored closely by his officers, as the lanes will be very narrow, at around 9 feet wide. He said people must drive safe for conditions, regardless of the speed limit.
Grider said deflection testing, which will be used to determine the extent of the undermining, is scheduled for Thursday, with Lakeshore Boulevard to be partially closed during that time. Cement cutters will be coming in on Wednesday in preparation for removing the failed portion of the road next week and installing a temporary repair.
He said city staff is working with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration to get funding for a permanent repair.
“We're just making a repair to eliminate any further wave intrusion into our road bed,” Grider said.
Grider said he’s set to meet with Federal Emergency Management Agency and California Office of Emergency Services representatives on Wednesday to go over the city’s damages.
He said his staff has continued to work to return the city to normal, including opening up the city’s parking lots from Third to Fifth streets. He said the Fifth Street boat ramp was reopened but the Third Street ramp remains closed due to issues with docks.
“So we're moving right ahead,” he said.
In order to get the parking lots reopened, Grider said Public Works crews hauled out nine dump truck loads of tules, which he said will be used for compost for park facilities.
He said the city also is working to get normal garbage pickup restored to areas that have been closed. The normal pickup day is Wednesday, and Grider said they will be monitoring how the pickup goes.
Lakeport Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said he, Silveira and City Clerk Kelly Buendia are working with evacuees at the shelter, which is located at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church, on coming up with long-term housing plans, especially for the displaced Will-O-Point residents. He said the city also has met with the property owner, who indicated he plan to make repairs to the resort.
Silveira said State Sen. Mike McGuire’s office has gotten a commitment for $50,000 to help Will-O-Point residents with housing, and the city also is looking at the possibility of using some of its own housing funds that have been set aside.
While the city on Friday scaled back its emergency operations center after 12 days of almost round-the-clock activity, city officials said staff continue to answer messages left on a special line, 707-263-5614, during business hours, with a Spanish message also available. A duty officer is assigned daily to supervise the return of messages.
Silveira expressed her gratitude to the church and to the Red Cross for the evacuation shelter, where the population has been consistently around 87 people. “That’s a huge amount of people for that building.”
She said the Red Cross also will be providing cleanup supplies and information for evacuees as they return home.
North Coast Opportunities has set up a donation page for the community members impacted by the flooding, Silveira said. The page can be found at https://www.ncoinc.org/ .
She said McGuire will be at the evacuation shelter at 7 p.m. Wednesday to speak with evacuees.
Mayor Stacey Mattina praised Silveira and Rasmussen for running the emergency operations center so well.
“It runs that well because of a team effort,” Rasmussen said.
District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott, who was at Tuesday’s meeting, commended city officials for their effort during the flooding emergency. “It was absolutely amazing.”
However, Scott said many residents were afraid of seeking assistance or shelter due to being undocumented.
She said she felt the city should have an open discussion about where it stands on the issue of undocumented residents. Scott said she was not asking for a decision on sanctuary, adding that she planned to take a similar discussion to the Board of Supervisors next week.
“I just think that the residents of the city of Lakeport need to know that we don’t stand for acts of hate or discrimination, and respect and protect all the residents regardless of their immigration status,” Scott said.
City Attorney David Ruderman also gave the council an update on state law that protects against price gouging during declared emergencies. That report came out of a meeting city staff had with evacuees, who are concerned about rental pricing.
He said that, upon the proclamation of any emergency, state law – specifically, Penal Code 396 – kicks in automatically. It prohibits an increase of more than 10 percent in the cost of goods or services compared to the costs before the emergency was declared.
Ruderman said that rule against price gouging remains in effect for 30 days after the declaration of an emergency unless the council extends it. Additionally, he said there also is a 180-day time frame pertaining to emergency cleanup services.
Mattina said she wanted city staff to bring the time extensions back to the council at future meetings in order to continue them and protect evacuees further.
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Lakeport officials offer updates on flood incident, evacuations and damage
- Elizabeth Larson
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