More than a week after Tropical Storm Hilary passed over Kern County, the damage is still being assessed.
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00:00 Drivers are now able to make their way up and down Caliente Creek Road, thanks to the hard work of Kern County Public Works.
00:06 As you can see, the lane beside me completely devastated by Tropical Storm Hillary,
00:10 and in its path, a dirt area that drivers can now go through on a single lane.
00:16 Nate Bozarth is making his way home, traveling up Cal Creek Road for the first time since Tropical Storm Hillary.
00:24 I have never seen this much water come through at one time.
00:27 Bozarth works in Bakersfield, so following the storm, the damaged roads caused him to have to travel around the mountain.
00:34 This is actually the first day that I've came through. I've been going through Walker Basin.
00:39 Adding time to his commute.
00:40 And he's one of the lucky ones.
00:44 People in the canyon here, they got stuck because they couldn't go either way.
00:47 Kern County road workers adding dirt to washed away roads, making them passable.
00:54 But it's still a dangerous journey. This two lane curve now reduced to a single path.
00:59 They put all these things in there to keep it from, even old cars.
01:02 They put it in there to keep it from washing out and the force of so much, it actually washed it back out.
01:11 Out of the 35 county maintained roads, 19 were originally closed following the storm.
01:16 The initial estimated damage costing $20 million.
01:20 California's Office of Emergency Services coming out to assess the damage.
01:24 And the county working to bring in a contractor in the next week to help with repairs.
01:29 At the Caliente post office right there, there's been five or six dump trucks coming in.
01:34 And the county, they're even working on the Walker Basin side over there.
01:37 We were afraid it was going to be closed for months.
01:39 But it's still a rocky road ahead.
01:41 For 23 ABC News, I'm Veronica Morley connecting you.