Planada flooded two years ago. For some, home repair, mold abatement has been slow

More than two years after flooding ravaged the rural community of Planada, up to 155 of 843 homes impacted are still awaiting repairs, according to Merced County estimates.

A UC Merced study found that 83% of Planada households experienced some kind of economic loss.

Residents have been helped by a combination of federal and local agencies and nonprofit groups. But, for those who did not have savings or flood insurance and applied for government aid, there has been a significant wait; home repairs through Habitat for Humanity — which received $3 million from the county — only began in December 2024.

The county allocated the $3 million in February 2024 to help homeowners and $5 million to another contractor to help tenants. Most tenants cases have been completed according to an April 8 update to the Board of Supervisors.

Between inspections and the application process, many residents have waited nearly 2 years since the county received $20 million from the state in October 2023. Some have been living in still-damaged homes, including those with mold or had to rent homes in Merced.

Habitat for Humanity says the amount of damage in a small area has stressed resources and raised prices, causing the delays. County Supervisor Scott Silveira said that “in government terms, we’re working at the speed of light.”

Liza Espinoza, a Planada resident, lived in a house with mold from 2023 until mid-July. She said she developed a rash on her whole body that required medicine. She attributed the rash to her efforts to clean the mold. She said there hadn’t been clear communication from the county about having the mold removed and sheetrock replaced.

“Everybody’s pointing fingers at each other, nobody’s taking responsibility and nobody’s following up,” said Espinoza, who is also part of a lawsuit that alleges several municipal bodies did not do enough to prevent the flood. “The county tells me Habitat for Humanity needs to take care of it. You have no idea what’s going on. Why aren’t you keeping track of this?”

Repair process varies depending on specific damages

Espinoza’s home was inspected for mold by a Habitat for Humanity contractor in April with subsequent inspections for construction and a roof replacement, she said. In July, the family moved into a hotel in Merced to allow the mold remediation to begin. Espinoza said that when the mold abatement contractor first inspected her home, they only looked at three of the six rooms in the house, requiring additional negotiation to have all rooms addressed.

Espinoza had wanted to stay near her family’s property in a trailer while the house is repaired.

“There’s no workers at these houses. There’s one that’s right here, down the street, and we kind of see not one person go in there and fix that house,” Espinoza said. “Whether they’re owning or renting, whoever it is, if they haven’t finished paying their mortgage, you’re still paying their mortgage and nobody’s living there.”

Anita Hellam, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Merced and Stanislaus counties, said the average time to fix a home is three weeks but said it can be longer for homes that need substantial or complete rebuilding. She said the organization works on 40 homes at a time, including those in the planning stage. A June 18 presentation showed that 70 homes have been repaired since Habitat for Humanity started in December 2024.

Cathy and Leonard Moreno’s home was repaired in February by volunteers with the Mennonite Disaster Service working for Habitat for Humanity, on top of repairs they had already paid for out of pocket. However, they said that siding on only one side of their house was replaced, when siding on both sides was damaged.

Reimbursement, for those who paid out of pocket, also has taken awhile. El Gallito Bakery, which saw damages to a freezer, refrigerator and oven, was reimbursed out of the business repair fund in August 2024, according to Miguel Cisneros, a member of the family that owns the bakery. It was also difficult for the family to get receipts for the older equipment they lost, including the fridge, which was already in place when they bought the bakery.

“It might have been more difficult if we were paying interest on some of these things. But luckily, we paid zero interest for everything that we purchased,” Cisneros said. “When we finally got reimbursed, we were able to make the payments, but yeah, maybe just a little sooner.”

Hellam said it’s more difficult to rebuild homes than build new homes — as her organization usually does — because some personally significant items, such as photographs, can never be replaced.

“I’m proud of the people that we work with. And, I just don’t have criticisms, and I don’t really have regrets. I feel we went into something because we wanted to serve the community,” Hellam said. “And even though we haven’t been perfect, we’ve been consistent. We’ve been at the table since day one, and we’re going to continue to be at the table.”

The organization’s $3 million contract ended July 31 and Hellam said she is working to sign another contract with additional funds. Originally the state gave a Dec. 31 deadline to spend the $20 million, but the county received approval in early June to continue spending beyond that.

“We’ve been into every single house, and we’ve submitted every single scope of work and budget for every house. And so we’ve requested funds to complete the project, along with contingencies,” Hellam said. “It’s my understanding that there is enough money left over from the other categories that didn’t get fully spent to be able to cover those costs. I’m not concerned that it’s not going to happen.”

In response to questions from the Merced Sun-Star, the county wrote that it “is currently in the process of onboarding additional local contractors to expedite the repair process.”

Advocates say residents are ‘tired of all the meetings’

Alicia Rivera, a Merced policy advocate with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, said the residents she works with are “tired of all the meetings.” She said that has depressed resident turnout at events including a county office hours meeting earlier this year.

“I think a lot of that just came down to residents being really frustrated with how long this process has been, questions that still haven’t been answered,” said Rivera.

At another community meeting on June 18, attendance was low, according to Rivera, Espinoza and Alicia Rodriguez, another community advocate. Rodriguez and Espinoza said the meeting was not adequately promoted and there was confusion about the start time.

The hour between the posted time and the start of the presentation provided refreshments and allowed “an additional opportunity for community members to gather, socialize, and engage informally with the County team,” the county said in an email to the Sun-Star.

“These people that put this together, that’s their lifestyle: They work from 8 to 5, 9 to 5, run to meetings, run to mingling,” Rodriguez said. “But these are grassroots people. These are different kind of people that don’t live that kind of lifestyle. So it’s not that easy for them.”

Lawsuits related to flooding are heading to court

Two lawsuits related to the flooding are still working through the courts. One suit by hundreds of Planada residents accuses the city, county and state of failing to prevent the flood.

A resolution could be two years away, said Shant Karnikian, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

The city, McSwain Union School District, and a group of farmers are also suing the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, alleging it delayed a permit for clearing Miles Creek, which was one of the waterways that flooded. A trial date is set for January 2026.

“For the most part, help (was) needed and help wasn’t given right away. It kind of left people feeling hopeless,” said Jazmine Hidalgo, who is part of the residents’ lawsuit. “Hopefully, this never happens (again), and we learn from this.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 1:16 PM.