SAN DIEGO — The deadline to submit applications to FEMA for assistance with flood damage repair is Friday, April 19 at midnight online and 7 p.m. in-person at two San Diego area Disaster Recovery Centers.
Where can I apply for FEMA assistance in San Diego County?
Mountainview Community Center
641 South Boundary Street
San Diego, CA 92113
Spring Valley Library
836 Kempton Street
Spring Valley, CA 91977
Centers are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Friday.
How to contact FEMA
- Email: disasterassistance.gov
- Phone: 800-621-3362
A FEMA spokesperson says the biggest issue for people right now is that nearly half of applicants have not connected with a FEMA inspector.
FEMA’s Gerard Hammink says people should get a call from a FEMA inspector 7-10 days after they apply for assistance. If you applied more than 10 days ago and have not spoken with an inspector, contact FEMA through the App, the phone, or in-person.
“We need that verification by an inspector of the damage before any money is approved,” Hammink says.
Anyone who has previously applied and is currently in the appeal process will not see a status change as a result of Friday’s deadline.
If you are denied, you have 60 days to appeal. Read your determination letter carefully because it will say you are ineligible for specific reasons. Hammink says the best thing people can do is go to one of the disaster centers in-person before they close Friday night. Many people are just missing one bit of information.
CBS 8 has spoken with several people who were denied FEMA assistance. They are extremely frustrated trying to navigate the appeal process.
We met Patricia Eribez outside the Mountain View Community Center with her hands full of documents.
She says she’s come here every day for nearly 3 weeks trying to get help to fix the home she owns that was flooded back in January. She filed for FEMA assistance in February but got denied because she was not living in the home. She is a landlord and had tenants living in the home that was flooded.
“There's no kitchen. There's no walls. It's not livable," she says.
She tracks her application status on the FEMA app. She shows us where it says her FEMA application was not approved. And now she’s been referred to the Small Business Administration (SBA). FEMA tells some ineligible applicants to consider low-interest loans through the SBA.
But Eribez’s process has not been smooth.
“This thing is a nightmare," she says. "I thought it was going to be an easy process and it's been nothing but a nightmare. I’ve given this paperwork over and over again. And they’re asking for it again.”
Hammink says to not give up.
“The applicants are human," he says. "The person who is taking the application may be human. Mistakes happen. So work through those mistakes."
According to FEMA:
- FEMA has registered more than 7,000 applications. FEMA has approved more than 2,800 applications.
- Many of the ineligible applicants have gone on to apply for a low-interest disaster loan, which is a way people can supplement their insurance payout
- Because the FEMA program is designed to bring homes back to a safe and livable condition, some applicants have not been found eligible. They can appeal.
Eribez carried her paperwork back in to SBA reps at the center again today. She says they told her she’d have a decision in 2-3 weeks.
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