Biden approves major disaster declaration for San Diego County after historic storm

President Joe Biden on Monday approved California's request for a major disaster declaration, ordering that federal aid go toward helping San Diego County residents recover after last month's historic storm.

The White House's declaration unlocks federal funds that will be used for grants to provide temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover, officials said.

Torrential rains on Jan. 22 killed three people and damaged or destroyed more than 800 homes across San Diego County, according to state officials.

"President Biden continues to stand with California whenever disaster strikes," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news release Monday. "This declaration brings in more resources to help the people of San Diego rebuild and recover from the late January storms."

In the weeks that followed the storm, city officials assessed damage to public infrastructure and urged residents to fill out an online survey to help estimate the total amount of damage to their personal property.

Several residents most deeply impacted by the flooding — particularly in Southcrest and Mountain View — told the Union-Tribune that they did not have flood insurance or policies that covered the bare-minimum.

Mayor Todd Gloria said local leaders used the damage assessments to lobby state and federal officials for a FEMA major disaster declaration.

"The city has been on the ground in the impacted neighborhoods, assessing damage and providing all the resources we can to get these communities on the path to recovery," Gloria said in a statement. "Now, with this designation, we can focus on the long-term rebuilding efforts from this natural disaster."

The heavy rains, rising mud and fast moving floods wrought tens of millions of dollars to both San Diego County residents and public facilities.

SOUL Academy, a school under the San Diego County Office of Education, has been closed for weeks due to flood damage, district officials said. A elementary school in Coronado Unified flooded and Coronado Middle, Coronado High and the early Childhood Development Center, suffered a gas leak during the flood.

The La-Mesa-Spring Valley district alone reported sustaining $10 million to $15 million in costs during the storm, from having to install new flooring to asbestos abatement to replacing much of the furniture and supplies on school campuses.

City officials said previously that the federal government will consider a disaster declaration if countywide costs to public facilities reach $15.1 million and statewide losses reach $72.7 million.

Before the White House's announcement, multiple online fundraisers and community organizations began collecting money for individuals affected by the flooding. Some residents also filed legal claims against the city, with at least three claimants arguing that the damage to their homes was caused by the city failing to maintain its drainage system in recent years.

The Union-Tribune reported last month that the city has a decades-long record of failing to maintain its flood-control channels and had not generated nearly enough revenue to cover the $2 billion needed for the infrastructure improvements.

Many of those victims continue to be displaced, even though city and county officials have worked to provide emergency housing and other relief.

The city plans to work with FEMA and the California Office of Emergency Services to set up a field office and disaster recovery centers in the most impacted communities in the coming weeks, Gloria said.

Officials asked residents and business owners who sustained losses in designated areas to begin applying for assistance by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov, calling (800) 621-3362 or by using the FEMA mobile app.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

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