Point Pleasant Residents Want Answers After Multiple Floods Strike Region

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) - Damage from this winter's storms has now reached $14 million and is expected to grow.

One of the hardest-hit areas is just south of Sacramento in Point Pleasant where three waterways converge.

County board of supervisors met to discuss the problem and heard from frustrated residents.

"There's a great sense of betrayal," said Neal Harrell, a pastor at Point Pleasant United Methodist Church.

There were several emotional pleas from residents asking county leaders for help.

'"When you sit in your house and watch the water creep up to your home and you don't know how to stop it that's the terrible part," added another homeowner.

The winter's storms were so bad, the water started flowing backward upstream for days and flooded dozens of homes. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time.

"Twice this year, '97, '86, '58, and '55," said Bud Hoppe, the town historian.

They're frustrated more hasn't been done to fix the problem.

"Twenty years I've listened to 'We're going to study this and we're going to do that,' but haven't seen anything done," the pastor said. "It's frustrating,"

Documents show the county has had a pot of nearly $8 million to fix the issue, but that money hasn't been used.

"I want us to be in a different place in a couple weeks and months from now, to make things better," said Don Nottoli, District 5 County Supervisor.

Estimates to build a levee around the neighborhood would cost millions more than the county has, so they're looking at several less expensive improvement projects including building berms around people's property, elevating homes above flood level, and erecting a temporary flood barrier to hold back water on Lambert Road.

"It's not just the flooding impact to their homes, but moving livestock, disruption of their farming operations," Nottoli said.

The help needs to come fast with spring rain on the way.

Wendi Wilkinson was flooded out twice with three feet of water and is willing to raise her home with county help.

She already has an estimate for $165,000 in damages and fears it's just going to happen again.

"We're starting to rebuild, but if we're going to go through this again what's the point?" she said.

Flood insurance has skyrocketed as a result. One man said an estimate for a year of insurance on his home would cost $11,000. The county is helping those residents cut the cost, but neighbors say there needs to be a viable long-term solution.

The board will discuss the problem again in June.