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Wheatfields partially evacuated

CLOVIS - The weekend's heavy rains have led to a partial evacuation of the Wheatfields Senior Living facility.

The facility, first opened in 2011, sustained extensive water damage when a roof repair coincided with the Friday night and Saturday morning rains, officials said.

"They were doing some planned work on the roof," said Lesley Yanak, vice president of marketing and sales for Seasons Living, the owner and managing company for Wheatfields. "Evidently, it did not get the coverage that it needed."

Damage from the flooding, which followed reports of 2-3 inches of rain, includes flooring, walls and furniture.

Yanak said 43 residents were moved from their rooms on Saturday. Of those, Yanak said, 12 were moved to a local hotel, seven were moved to vacant rooms in the facility's Memory Care area and the remaining 24 went home with families.

On Monday, 36 residents remained on the property - 11 in the independent living cottages on the property's south area and 25 in Memory Care, which is intended for residents suffering from Alzheimer's. Those parts of the facility, along with utilities and the kitchen, were not affected by the rain damage, Yanak said.

Officials from Oregon-based Seasons flew in to help assess the situation. There was no indication yet as to how long residents would be displaced, and the company is assuming any upcoming public events at the facility would be impacted.

Seasons will cover initial repair costs, Yanak said. When asked, she acknowledged the situation might eventually require legal action to resolve, but said it wasn't a concern on Monday.

"The biggest thing for us is making sure the residents are OK, that they're comfortable," Yanak said. "After that, you start digging a little deeper and (figuring out) who pays."

 
 
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