LAKEPORT >> Floodwaters may have been a hassle for all Northern Californians, but it left nearly 100 Lake County residents temporarily homeless, due to flooded or inaccessible homes.
The shelter that opened early last week at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Lakeport filled to capacity, warranting a second Red Cross shelter at the California Army National Guard last Friday.
Weekend numbers rose, and the church shelter filled all 99 available cots, causing a family of five and one other individual to relocate to the armory, which held two evacuees on Friday. But Tuesday’s shelter manager, Dean Johnson, said those numbers have dropped; the armory shelter will be placed on “stand-by” mode until evacuees are reallocated.
“As the population drops between shelters, we try to consolidate,” Johnson said. “(The church shelter) does an excellent job taking care of evacuees. They’re well equipped.”
The armory can handle up to 40 evacuees, providing all amenities needed. However, those positions will likely not be needed, as families find other lodgings, move to the church shelter or return to their homes.
Last week’s Seventh Day Adventists shelter manager, Shannon Kimbell Auth, said the church shelter headcount fluctuated last week with a count of 99 on Wednesday and 76 on Thursday. Later reports state 87 people were counted on Monday night, a decrease from the weekend’s numbers of over 100 people in shelters.
These high weekend numbers are the result of a few different factors, but Monday’s daytime manager at the church, Amy Monesmith, said it’s been difficult to pin them down. She said several people had been visiting Mexico, only to find their homes inaccessible upon returning. Other than this influx, she said she’s not sure why the weekend saw such a high number of evacuees.
Moreover, Management of the church shelter changed hands on Monday afternoon. The Red Cross the official manager of both shelters. Previously, the Seventh Day Adventist Church had been managed by the Lake Ministerial Association, a collective effort of local churches to operate a warming center for the homeless.
Monesmith said the decision to change hands was a matter of convenience.
“(The Red Cross and Seventh Day) have different guidelines,” she said. “It’s easier to enforce rules this way.”
Kimbell-Auth said the Seventh Day Adventist church, houses up to 24 homeless people on a normal basis, flooding or not. These numbers account for perhaps a fifth of the total head counts.
Kimbell-Auth also said getting exact numbers has been difficult. Lots of individuals come for supplies and food, but don’t need a place to sleep overnight. Therefore, an exact figure of affected individuals cannot be gleaned from their counts.
“Many of these people leave at 6:30 for work,” she said. “They leave before breakfast and that’s when we take count.”
Also, despite the sudden “shared” space, Auth said the regular homeless population has helped greatly.
“It’s the homeless population that has been so helpful setting up. I mean, they’re all homeless right now,” she said, pointing to the people gathered in the Great Room of the church. “It’s been a remarkable experience.”
