60-Day Snapshot: Federal Assistance Exceeds $22 Million as San Diego County Disaster Recovery Makes Progress

San Diego, Calif. - The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and FEMA, along with other state, county and local partnersin San Diego County, have been working tirelessly to restore homes and businesses to pre-disaster conditions following the Jan. 21-23, 2024 severe storm and flooding disaster. In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), numerous volunteers, and private aid organizations have worked hard to fund recovery and get survivors back on their feet.

Below is a snapshot of the recovery efforts over the last two months since the Feb. 19, 2024 Presidential Major Disaster Declaration.

Individual Assistance

• More than 2,898 households have been approved for FEMA grants, including:
  • $18.3million in housing grants, including short-term rental assistance and home repair costs.
  • Nearly $3.9 million approved for other essential disaster-related needs, such as expenses related to medical expenses and lost personal possessions.
• FEMA's door-to-door crews have visited 14,969 households to help survivors apply for assistance.
• Over 76% of homeowners who applied for assistance received some additional funds for mitigation efforts.
• Two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) provided face-to-face assistance to 7,134 survivors.

Local Call Center Support and Door-to-Door Teams

• A locally-based team of Individual Assistance personnel has been working hard to make sure FEMA reaches all survivors who experienced damage from the Jan. 21-23, 2024 severe storm and flooding disaster.
• Using FEMA's Enhanced Applicant Services initiative that identifies applications of at-risk survivors, the team has already contacted nearly 3,845 applicants by phone to assist them with completing the process.
• To date, more than 1,377 of these applicants, including older adults and those with access and functional needs, have received grants totaling nearly $3.9 million as a result of this follow-up.
• In addition to call-outs, door-to-door teams have worked through the most impacted neighborhoods to ensure every San Diego survivor was registered for assistance.
• These teams worked with the county and non-profits to register survivors at the 65 hotels where survivors stayed following the storm.

Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs)

• FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL), State VAL and members of San Diego Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Partners, and other local nonprofits have been assisting those affected by January 21-23, 2024 severe storm and flooding disaster.
• San Diego VOAD opened a Crisis Cleanup site where 425 households signed up for cleanup and mold remediation assistance.
• Over 1,200 individuals have signed up with San Diego VOAD for help. VOAD has assisted over 1,000 households with referrals and resources.
• SDVOAD member agency, The Harvey Foundation, has served 32,290 meals. Meals were served to 225 households (750 individuals).
• Partnering with National VOAD Partner, Global Empowerment Mission, SDVOAD is operating a Donations Warehouse with items a survivor needs as they move through the phases of Recovery.

For the latest FEMA information on the Jan. 21-23, 2024 San Diego County severe storms and flooding, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4758.

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FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.

All FEMA disaster assistance will be provided without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, limited English proficiency, or economic status. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, you can call the Civil Rights Resource line at 833-285-7448 (TTY 800-462-7585). Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should update FEMA with their specific number assigned to that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).

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