SPRING VALLEY, Calif. — Hundreds of people lined up for food, produce and other resources made available by San Diego County leaders after heavy downpours and flooding caused widespread damage on January 22.
Local Assistance Center information
- Time: Monday, January 29 through Wednesday, January 31 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Location: Spring Valley County Library, 836 Kempton Street
Grantville resident Althea Stewart said she was impacted by the storm.
"The lights went out so we didn't have electricity and then all of the food in the refrigerator was spoiled,” Stewart said.
Stewart called 2-1-1 after the January 22 storm turned her life upside down. She got directed to the assistance center where she got to take home plenty of food and supplies.
These services are part of a county effort to help flood victims recover and get back on their feet.
“I lost material things, but I say... It doesn't matter, I know that little by little we are going to recover again,” Golden Hills resident Aramis Lopez said.
The rain flooded Lopez’s two-story home in Golden Hills.
“All my documents, everything of mine was on the first floor and everything was ruined…everything,” Lopez said.
Lopez decided to attend the first day of the assistance center opening to see if there was any assistance he could qualify for after his cars were flooded. He’s one of hundreds of people who showed up to get some help and some answers.
“We’ve collected over 26-hundred self-reporting damage and so that's quite a bit and I'm sure there's more out there, and then on the public infrastructure side the damage estimates are running upwards of 70 million,” Director, County Emergency Services, Jeff Toney said.
This local assistance center only runs through Wednesday but people can still call 2-11 to get more information on available help. County leaders say they are working to get relief to the community as quickly as possible.
“Know that we are going to do everything we can so that we are getting funding from the state and the federal government to make sure that we support and help people,” said Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Nora Vargas.
The assistance center does have translators on-site who can speak eight different languages including Spanish, Italian and Vietnamese.
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