Residents, companies evaluate flood damage and start clean-up

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- More storms moved through the Central Valley. Pouring water onto already saturated grounds and into overflowing waterways. That water pushing into people's homes.

"The water was 3 feet high inside and outside," said Veronica Zaragoza.

Residents like Zaragoza describe watching her home flood twice in a matter of days, making desperate efforts to clean when the skies briefly clear.

"She feels sad because all of this was her investment from years ago, everything they've worked for is all going into the trash," said Zaragoza.

From the South Valley to the North Valley, crews have been busy responding to calls.

Officials say they have already had to order more supplies because of the excess demand.

Work in many cases is expected to take several weeks to months.

It all starts with a drying-out process before reconstruction can even happen.

"We're going to do what we call flood cut, it's about two feet of drywall, everywhere in all the rooms that were affected," said Brandonn McCullough, Balanced Comfort. "We're going to remove all of that we're gonna set equipment in, that's going to dry out the inside of the walls, the flooring."

Those repairs will potentially cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars.

"So, the ones that we have going on, right now, the damage has been very significant," said McCullough. "The damages, you know, to their home, or one it's taking from the very beginning to back to a functioning home can be anywhere from the 10s to 40 or $50,000."

If that damage is not managed quickly, McCullough said it can lead to mold growth, the breakdown of structural walls, and even cracks in the ceiling.

For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.