Residents of San Diego County impacted by the severe rain storm earlier this year may get housing assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said, amid a struggle in the state over the cost of homeowners insurance.
In January, a strong storm pummelled the area with record rainfall prompting the area’s mayor to declare a state of emergency. Authorities in the state said later that January 22 was the wettest day since 1850. Over the course of three hours, the city received 3 inches of rain, they said.
For those who were hurt by the January flood, FEMA said that they may provide some assistance.
“Homeowners and renters in San Diego County who had damage or losses caused by the Jan. 21-23, 2024, severe storm and flooding may apply for FEMA disaster assistance,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.
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Residents who were affected have a few weeks to apply for support from FEMA. The deadline for applications is April 19.
Some of the hardest hit areas were communities that lacked flood insurance, according to Governor Gavin Newsom, including areas in National City.
“The majority of this city’s residents are renters who do not have renters’
insurance,” Newsom said in a letter last month to President Joe Biden asking for federal support. “The city primarily experienced the impact of flooding in low-income apartment complexes, housing underserved and predominantly Spanish
speaking communities, with minimal to no flood insurance coverage.”
Also affected was Spring Valley, whose population was also without flood insurance, according to Newsom.
“The population in this area is disadvantaged, primarily Spanish speaking, and
lacks flood insurance coverage,” he wrote.
The San Diego insurance challenges exposed after the January floods are part of a larger crisis facing the state. Multiple insurance providers have left California, complaining of the high cost of providing services amid an escalating series of natural disasters.
Newsom, in his letter to Biden, described in some detail how communities in National City were hurt by the January floods.
“In Happy Hollow, a manufactured home park, 40 of the 90 units were damaged by
flooding. This flooding caused a five foot water line throughout the damaged
units,” he wrote. “Due to lack of available housing, many residents of the community are still living in their flooded homes. Adjacent to this manufactured home park, an additional 22 units in an apartment complex were deemed uninhabitable due to severe damage.”
But a significant chunk of the affected areas lack insurance.
“According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), there are 8,063 active flood insurance policies in the County but only 4 percent of the active policies are located within the most impacted areas,” Newsom said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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