Victims of last week’s flash flooding came to Spring Valley Sunday for detailed advice on making insurance claims, applying for property tax relief, replacing destroyed documents and finding a place to live during repairs.
More than 25 government agencies and nonprofits came together to create a county resource center that aims to provide every kind of advice flood victims need — even some advice they don’t yet know they need.
“We’re trying to see what sort of help we can get,” said Lane Harris, who bought his first home in San Diego’s Skyline neighborhood just six weeks ago. “This is our first time owning a home and first time dealing with a disaster like this.”
Luckily, the home’s tile floors survived last Monday’s historically intense flash flood. But throughout the house, about a foot of drywall above floor level was badly damaged and must be replaced.
Danny Ayala, who was forced to leave his rented home in Spring Valley, had a more specific goal Sunday: help finding an apartment in a notoriously tight rental market so he can leave a La Mesa hotel room where he’s living with his wife and four young children.
Ayala was also seeking advice on insurance claims and what he must do to make sure he’s eligible for any state and federal relief that might become available.
“Lots of stuff got damaged,” he said. “I have renter’s insurance, but they’re not helping me with anything at all.”
Renter’s insurance and homeowner’s insurance often cover only flooding from broken water or sewer pipes, not flooding from storms.
Tina Swim of Crisis Response Canines with dog Jamie spends time with Jocelyn Ramirez, 8, as her mother, Araceli, receives help at a Salvation Army station.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
County officials said the resource center, which is scheduled to remain open through Wednesday, is especially crucial for this local disaster because most of the victims live in the county’s least affluent neighborhoods.
They said that means many are underinsured homeowners, renters confused about their rights and people struggling to navigate complex applications — often with language barriers as an additional hurdle.
“I wanted to make sure we have everything centered in one location so people can get help,” said county Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas, who represents many of the southern and eastern neighborhoods damaged by the flood.
County officials said more than 400 households visited the resource center on Sunday. Located at the Spring Valley Library, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
Vargas said the resource center will also focus on helping people fill out online surveys documenting the damage they suffered during the flood, which could be crucial to making the county eligible for federal aid.
Through early Sunday, county officials said more than 2,600 households had filed reports of flood damage.
Vargas said officials from the state Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were scheduled to visit San Diego Monday to assess the local damage.
County officials announced Saturday that the region will qualify for state relief money to repair infrastructure damaged by the flood. More than $60 million in damage and emergency costs has been reported.
Also on Sunday, city of San Diego crews continued to clear streets of mud and debris in anticipation of more rain later this week. They are also making sand and empty sandbags available at 10 city recreation centers starting Tuesday from 1 to 7 p.m.
City officials say they’ve removed more than 1,443 tons of mud, debris, trash and bulky items from areas impacted by flooding, including Southcrest, Shelltown, Mountain View and Encanto.
Flood victims talk with Jordan Z. Marks, San Diego County’s assessor-recorder and county clerk, right.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Among Sunday’s visitors to the resource center, Kimmie Kissinger was in more need than most.
“We lost our whole household — it was flooded up to my waist,” said Kissinger, a Spring Valley resident. “The insurance doesn’t cover anything, so we’re seeing if we can get help for that.”
Kissinger was planning to visit a Department of Motor Vehicles booth where victims can get help declaring cars damaged by the flood non-operational. The booth also helps with replacements of documents destroyed by the powerful water.
On a bright note, Kissinger said her two dogs — Sky and Gypsy — survived the flood.
“We found the dogs floating on top of the couch,” she said.
Maureen Bell, who owns a home in Lemon Grove, said she came to the resource center because she’s mostly clueless about what help is available.
“I don’t know anything financial yet,” she said. “Luckily everything isn’t toast. I was home working at the time and luckily I have a DryVac and was able to get busy right away. But it’s still damaged — I have to have all of my floors replaced.”
She was in the middle of back-to-back online video meetings when she noticed something unusual last Monday.
“I look down and my sock is getting wet,” she said. “Then I get up and see flowing water. Then I had to swim across to my garage, which is detached.”
Jeff Toney, the county’s emergency services director, said he hopes the opening of the resource center can help the region turn a corner.
“Today’s the day I think that the healing process starts,” he said. “We wanted to physically bring this to the community. They can walk around and we guide them around. Sometimes, disaster survivors really don’t know what they need.”
Information available covers coping with mold from flooding, debris removal and how to get a property tax break because of flood damage. There is also food available, including potatoes, oranges, celery, onions, cabbage, mini-watermelons, cheese and canned pears.
Residents can get up-to-date info at sandiego.gov/storm or alertsandiego.org.
