Sausalito mudslide victim still in limbo ten months after disaster
SAUSALTIO, Calif. (KGO) -- The eyesore that, for months had been debris from Sausalito's Valentine's Day Mudslide is finally cleared away.
But ten months later, victims like Caryn Sachs have yet to find peace.
"I lived in the upper unit, 414," she said, pointing.
When the slope above collapsed during last winter's atmospheric river, an avalanche of mud from National Park owned land tore one house off its foundation, and also carried away the carport to this unit that Caryn rented.
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"I am grateful to be alive. So grateful that we got out with our lives," said Caryn.
But with the building still red-tagged and no access to the front door, many of Caryn's possessions remain just where she left them that morning, and insurance won't cover the loss.
"The furniture, rugs, lamps, the rest...all entombed in there," explained Caryn. "And with every passing month, I don't know the condition of anything, anymore."
Five days after the slide, the landlords allowed Caryn and her neighbors below to crawl through a back window and remove a few smaller items. But furniture? Too big. And with an unstable foundation, the City of Sausalito says moving them would be too dangerous without another inspection.
"Because it is a piece of private property. We don't want to certify a building unless we know all the details associated with it," said Kevin McGowan, who runs the Department of Public Works.
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Caryn, meantime, wants someone to build a scaffold across the void so she can carry her stuff out. In reality, though, that scaffold would cost more than the value of her furniture.
And, with all of this still in pending litigation between renters, homeowners, the city of Sausalito, Cal Trans and the National Park Service?
"I am in complete limbo."
Leaving her as just one more slide victim in limbo, waiting for a resolution.
