Residents on Lovers Lane demand action as flooding persists
By Jacquelyn Quinones
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CALIFORNIA (KSBW) — Residents of Lovers Lane in San Benito County are calling for more county intervention as persistent flooding threatens their homes and livelihoods.
“We’re preparing to evacuate our livestock. I’ve got enough furniture and items off the ground as much as I can, just kind of anticipating a possible flood,” said Alicia Llanas, a resident of Lovers Lane.
Alicia Llanas is afraid of what could happen. She and her neighbors lived through a nightmare two years ago when the area was hit with major flooding.
“We always get some water in the driveway, but two years ago we had massive flooding, and it was four feet of water. We ended up having to put two hundred thousand dollars to rebuild our home,” Llanas said.
“Pretty much lost everything. Got about two feet of water inside the house, so everything was lost there. We were hoping that kind of would be the end of it,” said Pedro Cadenas, another resident.
Thursday, Pedro Cadenas took the day off so he could focus on preventing a repeat of two years ago.
“I had to stay home to prevent enough water from going inside the house, which already has about a foot and a half underneath the house,” Cadenas said.
Another neighbor says this is an ongoing problem. Whenever it rains hard, the neighborhood floods. She wants the county to do more.
“This has been an ongoing problem because it’s the backside of Soap Lake. This is all reclaimed Soap Lake land, and it’s always flooded,” said Sandy Patterson, a Hollister resident. “People’s lives are out there, their animals, their lives, their livelihood. This needs to be addressed.”
Anthony Soto with San Benito Emergency Services knows this area is prone to flooding. While they are monitoring all areas of the county, they are keeping a close eye on potential problem areas like Lovers Lane.
“It is right by the river, so it has flooded in the past. If we do get a big amount of water, there could be a problem,” Soto said.
The county has also closed Rocks Road because of flooding. They hope to get it open again sometime tomorrow.
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