County health officials lifted evacuation warnings at three East Valley mobile home parks near Lawson Dump in Thermal, where floodwaters tore through the walls.
The evacuation warnings were lifted after tests on rainwater samples showed no threat to residents’ health, the county said Tuesday.
Lab test results showed lines of contaminants in samples taken after Sept. 1 flooding passed through protective berms and flooded parts of the San Jose, Vargas and Gamez mobile home parks.
Riverside County issued an evacuation warning on Sept. 2.
The authorities said something else in the resolution to lift the evacuation precaution due to the withdrawal of rainwater in the area.
“The decision to consider an evacuation warning was based on the potential health risks to citizens of mobile home parks,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside County public health officer. “With more data coming from control effects and alleviating water status, we decided that the evacuation warning could simply be lifted. “
None of the citizens in the evacuation precaution zone used a shelter set up at the Galilee Center near Mecca after the storm.
“Many county departments have worked in combination to respond to this emergency by prioritizing the fitness and protection of our flood-affected citizens in cell home parks. A shelter has been created and cleanup efforts have been launched to prevent contact with rainwater in the area,” said fourth district manager V. Manuel Perez. “We are pleased to be informed of the effects and, most importantly, to know that our citizens were not in danger. “
Analysis of water samples revealed lines of toxins, adding high levels of certain metals, but not enough to pose a health risk, officials said. Third-party laboratory tests reviewed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Riverside County Department of Public Health.
The specialized tests were conducted under the direction of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
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