Mother Nature Brings The Rain But Caltrans Brings The Problems, Homeowner Says

THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA.com) — The rain is causing all kinds of problems for one homeowner and she's not blaming mother nature.

Every time it rains, Elsa Marshall, of Thousand Oaks, fears she wont have a home. She bought her house less than a year ago, put money into it to fix it up, but when it rains, mud, rocks and flooding damage her investment.

"I'm worried about the house coming down," Marshall said.

The flooding, which has come up to her knees, is ruining the new landscaping and is causing the foundation of her home to slant downward.

"I'm afraid of interior damage next, if it keeps sinking with more rain," Marshall says.

Marshall says its not the trailer park's problem where she lives. She believes Caltrans is to blame. She says the problem started when Caltrans workers covered a hillside drain this summer with dirt while working on the 101 freeway and 23 interchange improvement project.

"I had my budget to do my house. I did my house. But I don't have a budget to redo everything that I have done," says Marshall, who is on a fairly fixed income.

Caltrans did give CBSLA a statement saying in part:

"A homeowner was provided with the contact information for the Caltrans claims unit to file a claim for damages. There are no plans to move the drain in question."

For now a tarp and sandbags have been provided by Caltrans until the situation is resolved.