La Habra yards flooded with mud after debris clogs storm drain
By Nicole Comstock
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LA HABRA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Four La Habra yards were flooded with mud and water after debris from a nearby homeless encampment clogged a storm drain during Tuesday’s rain.
“There was just a huge avalanche of mud, and it’s all because of the back railroad,” resident April Contreras said. “We have homeless encampments in the back. We have mattresses back there. We have junk that they’ve left back there.”
Contreras and her neighbors said the trash and furniture from the encampment have clogged the large drainage pipe for years. Their situation worsened after a wall by the pipe broke five years ago, causing rainwater and mud to spill onto their yards.
“It’s a disaster,” Contraras said.
When the neighbors raised their concerns with city officials, the officials directed them to the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the property. The homeowners claim they’ve been stuck in a loop with both sides blaming each other.
“They’re basically just finger-pointing,” resident Vince Daly said. “We’re residents of the city of La Habra. To be honest with you, I don’t care who owns the property. I think the city needs to take care of their residents and battle it out with the railroad.”
Neighbor Nancy Flores said the flooding caused a sinkhole in her backyard.
“I’m scared because the house is falling down if the water is coming through,” Flores said.
The neighborhood said the railroad has denied their previous claims for damage. In a statement, Union Pacific Railroad said it has tried to clean the property in the past, but can’t keep up with the trash.
“Despite our efforts to keep our property clear and safe, unlawful encampments are set up on our property, resulting in some people treating our property as a dump site,” the railroad wrote. “As quickly as we clean up a site, or remove an encampment, the homeless return. We will continue these efforts.”
The homeowners said the floods have eroded the soil and caused nearby power poles to lean toward their houses.
“Somebody’s going to get seriously injured,” Contreras said. “If this continues, it’s going to be horrible.”
Southern California Edison said it is investigating the power lines in the area.
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