North Bay preparing for next storms after Russian River flooding leaves residents homeless

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. (KGO) — Storms in the forecast this week could bring more heavy rain to spots still drying out.

A Sonoma County Supervisor says last week’s heavy rain, landslides and flooding did more than $7.5 million in damage.

“We lost all of our furniture, our beds, our dressers, our desks, most of my storage unit we lost all that,” said Katelyn Ellison of Guerneville.

Ellison and her kids lost pretty much everything during Guerneville’s recent flooding.

RELATED: More rain in forecast prompts concerns in North Bay for landslides, flooding along Russian River

A non-profit called the Russian River Alliance put them up in a hotel for four nights, but they won’t be able to go home for at least four to six weeks.

“So we have one more night there and then our neighbor has a trailer with an extra room and she said we could stay in there,” said Ellison.

“It’s night-to-night, it’s day-by-day, it’s step-by-step, and it’s horrifying,” she said.

Around a hundred people showed up to an event in Guerneville Monday night with numerous agencies and non-profits to see how they can get help for a situation that came as a surprise.

“National Weather Service was calling for about a 32-foot flood. 32 feet just means flood stage so we we’re kind of expecting it to be a very very minor flood but unfortunately the day before the waters were rising that number jumped up to over 36,” said Lynda Hopkins who is Sonoma County Supervisor for District 5.

MORE: House falls into Russian River after landslide in Forestville

Clean up is already underway but more rain is expected this week.

“We’re sanding down all the walls right now and getting where any mold had started so we’re burning through masks like nobody’s business,” said Guerneville homeowner Taylor Peck.

Ellison says she was unable to get renters insurance because of where she lives and now she is left without a home, just like others.

“And unfortunately the new workforce housing in the lower Russian River are trailers in low-lying areas so a lot of folks were trying to get their trailers out in the last minute,” said Supervisor Hopkins.

“When my landlord came and told us his insurance doesn’t cover us he said, ‘When you’re out you’re out,'” Ellison said. “It’s horrifying not knowing where you’re going to go when you have two kids relying on you, so it’s really scary. This is a phenomenal place to live, I mean it’s a beautiful place to live, the community is fantastic and it’s worth living here if we can get through these hard times.”

Ellison doesn’t know what will come next, but is hopeful that she and her kids will soon find a place to call home.