LAKE COUNTY (KRON) — A Flood Watch remained in effect Monday night in Lake County, prompting residents, already victim of the devastating Valley Fire, to worry about mudslides.
With all this rain, there is a risk that one disaster could turn into another. The rain has tapered off Monday night, but every time the hillsides surrounding Middletown and Cobb become saturated, the danger becomes greater.
There is a worry that the badly burned hillsides simply cannot handle much more from Mother Nature. But there were no reports Monday of large mudslides.
The Flash Flood warnings for California burn areas lasted through 9 p.m. Monday night. Power and construction crews continued to work in the rain, while those still displaced by the Valley Fire braved through the brunt of the storm.
“It was raining steady enough to make everyone miserable and stay in their tents, or under tarps or in trailers,” resident Mike Thompson said.
Thompson is a renter who has been priced out of apartments because of rising housing costs. He is one of a couple dozen families living in a tent city in Hidden Valley Lake.
He said he is trying to get a roof over his head as quickly as possible.
“In two weeks to a month, when it gets really cold, this is not the kind of place we want to be.”
Meanwhile, the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is running out.
Valley Fire victims only have two more weeks to submit applications.