VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. — Aronie Warren is still in shock after seeing firsthand what a creek that rose above its banks did to her Valley Springs home.
"It's overwhelming. My 6-year-old grandson came and said, 'Grandma, your house is broken.' He still doesn't understand. He thinks we can fix it and come back and visit," said Warren.
Throughout her house she's owned for nine years, floors are covered with mud, furniture is toppled over and the garage is a jumbled mess. The refrigerator was also left lying on its back on the kitchen floor after being no match for the raging flood waters. In the bathroom, the force of the water was so strong it actually lifted up the bathtub.
"This is the wall, and this is the line from the second time it flooded," said Warren, pointing to a dirt line about three feet off ground in a hallway.
Warren's property next to Cosgrove Creek has been flooded four times since New Year's Eve.
In all, more than 20 homes and condos have been red tagged by the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Department in the Valley Springs area. That means the homes are uninhabitable until repaired.
As ABC10 reported last week, residents living next to Cosgrove Creek said the waterway continues to back up, filled with debris and brush. They want it cleaned out and consistently maintained.
"If you go up just a little ways this way, it widens so wide that if we cleaned out the debris and maybe dug it out a little bit, this wouldn't have been so devastating," said Warren.
Last week, Calaveras County said Cosgrove Creek is on private property, but the county "engages in ongoing efforts to decrease flood risk, including vegetation removal."
For now, Warren is staying with relatives. She said it may take six to eight months to repair the damage. She is waiting on bids from contractors for the repair.
However, it will take years to heal the emotional scars the floods have left in their wake.
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