Cambria homes flooded, damaged after heavy rainfall: ‘It’s not good’
On Thursday morning, water crept into homes in one Cambria neighborhood as a massive storm swept San Luis Obispo County for the second day.
Since the storm began, the North Coast has received the heaviest rainfall, with Rocky Butte reporting 13.16 inches of rain and Cambria receiving 10.28 inches of precipitation, according to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey. And more wet weather is on the way.
Runoff from the hills surrounding Cambria’s Sherwood Drive neighborhood has funneled toward oceanfront homes.
“It has been pooling up,” Diana Scouras, who lives on the 2400 block of Sherwood Drive, told The Tribune on Thursday. “It’s not good but the house is habitable.”
Her neighbor, Diane Tappey, said her Sherwood Drive home also sustained water damage after debris from the storm blocked a public drain, resulting in flooding. Her house is in a low spot.
Nearly every room in the home was affected, Tappey said, including the hallway, living room, kitchen and a bedroom.
“I am going to have to replace the carpet and likely pull all of the wood flooring and replace that as well,” she said.
Tappey said she’ll also have to thoroughly clean the oriental rugs she has in her home.
Cambria home flooded, cleanup efforts begin
Tappey said she bought her home in the 1990s and it has “never flooded like this before.”
Tappey said she went to bed Wednesday after losing electricity due to a power outage. She didn’t hear water come streaming into her home early Thursday morning.
“I woke up about 1:15 a.m. when the power came back on” and her television turned on, Tappey said.
That’s when she noticed the dampness of her carpets, which were sopped with water Thursday, and the mud and moisture soaking her wood flooring.
“I saw water getting in throughout the house,” Tappey said. “I called my insurance and they’re going to come and inspect (the damage). This will cost a fortune.”
Tappey also called a friend who helped build the home in 1994, and he assembled the work crew to help clear out mud and water that had seeped under the garage door and pooled in the patio.
Due to a hip injury, Tappey said she’s not venturing outside of her home, which is caked in slippery mud.
“I don’t know how my neighbors are doing,” Tappey said. “My neighbor from across the street called to see if I was alive. I’m fine, but I know the house will need a lot of work.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 3:53 PM.
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