CALDWELL, Idaho — A dozen residents at Sunset Landing Apartments in Caldwell were forced to move out after torrential rain flooded parts of the Treasure Valley on Friday, June 26. The rain damaged 11 units and left those residents with few housing options available.
One displaced resident, Alexis Austin, said she had no choice but to relocate five hours away to Idaho Falls to stay with a friend, along with her cat, after the housing company's only viable housing options for her were hours away in Pocatello, Chubbuck and Twin Falls.
"You know, my home, my doctors, my support system is all out there in the Boise area, so this is, this is a struggle," Austin said.
Austin said she received a call telling her to evacuate at 3:30 in the morning as floodwaters rose inside her unit.
"They were going to put us up in a hotel, but I have an animal, a cat, and I got a call at 3:30 in the morning when the water was to my knees," Austin said.
Repairs on Sunset Landing are expected to take months.
Former resident Tabitha Rivera, who lived at the complex from 2022 to 2024, said drainage problems existed long before last Friday's flooding and that maintenance requests went unanswered, allegations the property management company has yet to respond to.
"We knew something like this would happen someday, and I am surprised it took this long to actually happen," Rivera said.
Rivera described recurring flooding issues on the property.
"You'll get pooling in the playground from the slightest rain, and then the kids can't go play," she said.
Austin backed up her old neighbor's claims.
"...it was flooded up onto the sidewalk, and they knew it was a problem then, and they didn't do anything about it," Rivera said.
Austin has suffered many surgeries over the past decade, and the situation is putting serious stress on her. She cannot pack belongings or commute herself, and the associated costs are weighing on her.
She said, as a section eight/equal housing complex, "you'd think they'd understand."
The city of Caldwell states storm-water infrastructure must be maintained entirely by the property owner.
In an email statement after attempts to contact them over the phone, The Housing Company says they understand how stressful the flooding has been for residents and that they're working one-on-one with neighbors, insurance providers, and contractors to meet needs as best they can.
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