Police in Modesto, California, reported on Tuesday that they
were collaborating with the volunteer group Operation 9-2-99 in
removing trash from the Tuolumne River over the weekend when
they discovered the cave dwellings.
Local media said there were eight caves equipped with beds,
tables and chairs, shocking neighbors who were unaware how
elaborate the dwellings were.
Modesto police said the people living in the riverbank area had
been notified of the cleanup ahead of time and they were offered
services to transition into housing.
Upon learning about the caves, city and state officials
implemented "immediate safety measures" and restricted access
with barricades and temporary fencing while assessing the
structural safety of the surrounding areas, the city of Modesto
said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The City recognizes the importance of not only addressing the
immediate safety risks but also working towards a comprehensive
solution to permanently eliminate these caves," the city
statement said.
Homelessness has remained a stubborn problem in much of
California, which had a homeless population of more than 180,000
as of a year ago, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development estimate.
Operation 9-2-99, so named for targeting an area of the river
from the 9th Street Bridge to Highway 99, has been helping
restore the Tuolumne since 2014, according to its website.
The city of about 220,000 people is at the northern end of the
agricultural San Joaquin Valley about 90 miles (145 km) east of
San Francisco.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Michael Perry)
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