Getting help for flood damage after storm battered San Diego

SAN DIEGO — Homes across San Diego sustained significant damage in massive flood waters brought on by a storm that swept through the region Monday, leaving many residents paralyzed and searching for answers.

Southeast San Diego and National City, who were directly under the path of the storm’s core, were particularly overwhelmed by the heavy rains and flooding that neared multiple feet in height in some areas.

“A lot of people are in shock,” said Japhet Perez Estrada, a Southcrest resident who had to swim out of the neighborhood in chest-deep water. “People are upset because we as a community have been complaining about the canal, because it’s always filled … this isn’t the first time its flooded.”

However, many people expressed bewilderment to FOX 5 since Monday at the disastrous heights the flood water reached, including a San Diego Fire-Rescue captain who described the event as a “catastrophic” event nobody could have foreseen.

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Up until now, homeowners have probably never considered that flooding of this nature could occur in San Diego, but for some it may be too late.

Sabrina Zimmerman with ServiceMaster Absolute Water and Fire Damages explained to FOX 5 on Monday that some of the losses homeowners might have sustained from Monday’s storm may not be covered by insurance and residents should contact their agent or carrier before doing anything else.

“Unfortunately, not all of these situations are going to be covered losses, but to get advice as far as what direction to go,” Zimmerman said. “The easiest thing for people to do in this situation is to panic and to want to have that knee-jerk reaction to put in a claim. With the homeowners market as unstable as it is right now, that is not necessarily what you want to do.”

Although not many people in the county may actually have flood insurance — as it is not legally required for anyone in the U.S. — Zimmerman suggests homeowners look into whether their neighborhood is considered flood-prone to decide whether to add it to their existing coverage.

“For a lot of people, especially here in San Diego, we’re not required to have flood insurance,” she said. “So before you move into a neighborhood, talk to neighbors, see if there’s any of these historic events in the last four years, five years.”

Damage from flash flooding overwhelms southeast San Diego

Without insurance, Zimmerman explained that costs to repair damage from this type of flood water could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 out of pocket.

“It may not look like raw sewage, but it might as well be raw sewage. That water that flowed through the streets, that mud — it’s highly contaminated, you can’t just put fans on it. It has to be disinfected, it has to be treated,” she said of the flash flooding on Monday.

In comparison, she said small floods from incidents like a minor pipe burst would range from $2,000 to $5,000, if the home is not covered by insurance.

Some funds could be made available to members of the public who saw extensive damage to their homes due to floodwater Monday, given the emergency declarations by Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Todd Gloria and the County of San Diego.

According to city officials, those who sustained damage are asked to report it to the County of San Diego’s online survey. This will help the county in seeking grants from federal agencies — like the Federal Emergency Management Agency — to address the impacts on homes and surrounding infrastructure in the coming months.

“Right now, for clarity, we’re in the gathering information, documenting the level of impact and encouraging everyone to document the damage,” Chris Heiser said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We’re in a process right now … The Mayor and his staff, along with OES at the county and our level are pursuing every avenue for funding to support the community.”

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For those that did not have sustain major damage, Zimmerman still encourages homeowners to remain on-top of storm preparations in advance of any rain by cleaning gutters and checking any drains.

“People think of our houses as waterproof,” she said. “They’re water resistant, they are not water proof. Water does come in foundations, it does come in walls. Whatever you can do keep that water away from your house is what you want to do.”

“If you do your due diligence ahead of time, I don’t know if it would have helped some of the people that had the catastrophic losses, but it might have helped somewhat,” Zimmerman said.

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