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Rising Cosumnes River Has Residents Evacuating For Third Time In 2017

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) - Residents along the Cosumnes River bracing for another round of storms making it the third voluntary evacuation order in less than two months.

Crews are already prepared for flooding, which is why the southbound exit has been closed off of Highway 99.

Nearly everyone living alongside the river has been affected, but one area especially hit hard was to the east in Point Pleasant.

"We've gotten about 3 feet of water in our house," said Wendi Wilkinson who lives off Franklin Road.

It flooded in January and then again in February.

"Right here is the flood line from last week," she pointed out. "We have to kayak into our house."

Wilkinson and Gilbert Mendes have been flooded to their wit's end and can't believe it's going to happen again.

"At this point, we are just raising and going up and up because we don't know how high the next flood is going to be," Mendes said.

The overflowing river gets trapped and has nowhere to go but in their home.

"We are not getting the flood relief," he said.

While many areas are protected by levees, Mendes said they're not.

"Right now the community here kind of feels like the armpit of the waterway and we are just a casualty and they're going to let it happen to us," he said.

A pain so many have weathered as rain continues to pound and water begins to rise.

"We lost everything. All of our pictures," Wilkinson said.

It flooded 10 years ago, but nothing like this she added.

"It's just kind of one of those things where we don't know and you just got to prepare yourself for anything," Mendes said.

They're ready for Round 3 but can't imagine taking on any more water.

Officials say people in Wilton should be prepared to leave their homes Tuesday and folks down in Point Pleasant by Wednesday.

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