As the summer fire season is winding down, people in Saratoga Springs now have a whole different problem to deal with: mudslides.
Volunteers spent their weekend cleaning up after a mudslide severely damaged several homes. Mud and debris came surging down the mountain, flowing into streets, backyards, and even homes. People say all they could do is watch in horror as it happened.
'The rain came gushing down the road … in front of our houses, in between our houses, and through the basements of our houses. We had water over the top of the mailboxes up the street. It was about five feet high,” said Mindy Greene
Once the mud settled, volunteers of all ages showed up armed with tools, ready to help those families in need. Because of how thick the mud was, it couldn't be pumped out like normal flood water. It had to be carried out, bucket by bucket.
'When we started up on the first day it was overwhelming to see what needed to be done. We were up to our knees in the muck and the mud and all the debris that came down off the mountainside. To see just the progress from day to day from the many, many volunteers has been phenomenal. There’s just no way we could’ve done this on our own, ¨ said Raquel McManus.
Over a week later, power washers spray the last remnants of mud from homes. With winter just around the corner, volunteers are starting to build retaining walls to try and stop the spring runoff.
Because most insurance doesn't cover mudslides, the city has set up a donation fund online.
http://saratogaspringsrelief.blogspot.com