Residents from parts of San Diego that experienced extraordinary flooding in the atmospheric river storm that inundated the region on Jan. 22 say their temporary housing vouchers are expiring — and they have nowhere to go.
Others say they are still living in homes that flooded last month which are now soggy and infested with mold.
In a Tuesday press conference organized by community organization Alliance San Diego, residents discussed their experiences and said that the flooding was less a natural disaster than a predictable failure of long-neglected infrastructure.
One resident identified only as Maria wept as she said that she had already run out her savings paying for a hotel room, which she could no longer afford.. “Where are my children and I going to go? We just need four walls, a place to rest our heads… but we have not been given any help, we have not been called… Everything we had was destroyed. Where are we going to go?” she asked in Spanish through a translator.
Others described receiving conflicting information about where they will be sheltered and for how long, and what assistance they will receive until they are able to move back into their homes.
“We’ve come here with a message for Mayor Gloria, the buck stops with him… he needs to answer to this commnity for the lack of housing as a result of the flood, and there needs to be a better plan,” said Andrea Guerrero, Alliance San Diego’s executive director.
“There is no plan for housing survivors in the long term, no plan.”
The organization is asking the city to work with local agencies to offer adequate long-term housing and to offer a clear recovery plan, including providing a specific phone number and dedicated department to help residents navigate housing issues.
“All flood victims in who are in hotels are being connected with temporary housing through the County of San Diego,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “Those in hotels were placed either by community-based organizations (via vouchers) or by the San Diego Housing Commission (via direct placement).”
“The City of San Diego has had no involvement with those placed via community-based organizations; however, we have been assured — and the County announced — that all of these flood victims were being placed into temporary housing.”
The statement added that the San Diego Housing Commission will continue to cover hotel stays of residents until they can access housing through the county.
The San Diego City Council approved a plan this week to waive demolition and building fees for those affected by the storm. The plan will also reimburse recycling costs associated with the reconstruction of damaged private properties.
Additionally, the city has established a debris removal program to be coordinated through its Environmental Services department.
