WOODBRIDGE, Va. (WUSA) - They can stay for now: County officials and authorities in Prince William County have backed off a plan to evict eight families from a mobile home park that was ravaged by severe weather last year.

But the standoff that took place Tuesday has toughened tensions for all those involved in the debate.

At Holly Acres Mobile Home Park, residents  were bracing to be forced out of their homes against their will.
At the center of this fight are allegations that these trailer homes aren't suitable to be lived in,something the families here vehemently refute.

Prince William County Police along with county officials are deeming the eight trailer homes that are left here unsafe and have placed plcards on their doors, advising residents of the dangers, and issuing orders that they get out.

"I feel bad because the county, they come and say you have to leave," said Memo Cervantes. Cervantes, a low-income immigrant from Mexico caught a break. The county decided to back off the promise to evict people and allow them to stay, for now.

Ray Jackson, the chief County Inspector, has taken issue with the makeshift electrical system set up by the residents, and seemed bothered when questioned by 9News Now's Ken Molestina.

"Have you looked around, have you seen the cords going across do you think that's a safe environment?" asked Jackson.
"It is not. If I thought it was safe I wouldn't have placarded it."

Following the storms that destroyed their neighborhood, residents were left without power and it was never restored. So the few families that remain have been using generators and extension cords to share electricity.

The issue is still working its way through the courts. No final decision has beeen made according to their lawyer, Mark Moorstein, and he wants any action to evict his clients in the near future to stop.

He said, "We intend to be in court this Thursday to try and obtain a restraining order."

For the time being, the eight families that live here are vowing to stay put despite the county's wishes. They claim their homes are fine, and until a judge makes a final decision, Cervantes and his neighbors want county officials to stay away.

The county says it will continue to asses and officials say they may carry out their original plan soon.