LOGAN — The houses across the street from Sean Bartschi's home look pretty good.
After a canal breach triggered a massive mudslide last week, killing three people in its wake, the city of Logan has hauled more than 1,000 tons of mud and debris from the area, and the roads have been, for the most part, reopened.
Saturday morning, a group of 75 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Mount Logan Stake laid new sod in four yards that were affected, and an evacuated home just west of Bartschi's has been gutted and nearly swept clean.
His work, however, has only just begun.
"The city and the canal company have told us we're on our own," said Bartschi's sister, Toni Pierce, who traveled from Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday to assist in the extensive cleanup. "Today's the first day they've allowed us to set foot on the property, and I don't know what we're going to do."
Bartschi's home, purchased in January 2007 as an investment, was flooded on two levels with runoff from the canal break. Debris from the ensuing mudslide now fills the kitchen, living room, family room and basement.
Congressman Rob Bishop, who met with Logan officials early Saturday, was speechless when he first viewed the damage Saturday.
"I don't even know what to say," he told the Deseret News. "When you see something like this, it's just … boy. All I can say is I'm sorry for your loss, but that doesn't mean a whole lot, does it?"
The congressman said, "The one reason I came up here today is to see how we can help from our office. We've been talking to HUD, FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers just to see what resources are available, but so far, unfortunately, there aren't any answers."
Bartschi was appreciative nonetheless.
"In coming up here and talking to me, you've shown me more consideration than the city of Logan or the canal owners," Bartschi told Bishop. "If they'd just treat us fairly, we'd be fair. But they won't even talk to me. How can they re-sod the houses across the street but then say that I'm on my own?"
Logan city attorney Kymber Housley disagrees that the city has left Bartschi hanging out to dry, but he does admit that there are no easy solutions.
"We're not turning our backs on these people," he said. "I think some of the homeowners are upset because they want answers now. If you look around over the past four or five days, you can see the city's involvement in this cleanup effort, but you have to understand that we don't own this land. What we're trying to do is help out these homeowners as much as we can, even though we don't have any real liability for this."
In the meantime, Housley recommended that Bartschi and other affected homeowners work with their insurance companies, hire attorneys as appropriate and do what they can to salvage their belongings. "All the city can do," he said, "is continue to work with other agencies to find funding, but we can't provide it today."
Faced with the possibility that his house will ultimately be condemned, Bartschi, 30, who operates a Logan mortgage company and helps run his family's Montpelier, Idaho, farm, isn't reassured. "The city has known for a long time that this area was unstable," he said, "and they did nothing about it."
Bartschi shared his home, located at 925 E. Canyon Road in Logan's Island area, with renter Adam Elsmore. When the mudslide demolished the home next-door — killing Jacqueline Leavey and her two children, Abbey Alanis, 12, and Victor Alanis, 14 — Elsmore and his girlfriend had just returned from a bike ride and were seated on the living room couch.
"Adam said he heard some weird noises, some popping sounds," said Bartschi, "He saw the slide take off from near where our deck used to be, and he saw it hit that other house."
The damage to his residence, explained Bartschi, occurred about 15 minutes later.
"Someone's got to be at fault here," said Pierce. "If they issue a permit, and three people are dead, someone's got to be responsible. I just wish that someone would please help my brother."
Late Saturday morning, a student group from Utah State University that had been working next-door, shifted its efforts to help Bartschi dig out access to his basement door — the entry having been buried under several feet of rocks and mud. On Monday, another LDS group is scheduled to provide assistance as well.
"What this community has done in response to this crisis makes you want to cry," Bishop said.
Having been told by his insurance company that his loss was "not covered," Bartschi hopes more of the relief effort will soon be directed his way.
e-mail: jchristensen@desnews.com