Grim tally from state offers most detailed extent of storm damage in San Diego yet

The first official accounting of damage in San Diego County from the torrential Jan. 22 storms estimated that more than 800 homes were impacted by flooding, and local schools across the region sustained an estimated $4 million in damage. 

That data and more are contained in a letter sent Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the federal government asking President Joe Biden for a Major Disaster Declaration for the county. If approved, the declaration means victims of the flood are eligible for assistance with housing, food, medical and legal needs, and vehicle replacement, among other things.

The six-page letter gives a grim tally of the destruction that came from the powerful storm which dumped nearly 3 inches of rain on the county. The National Weather Service said it was the wettest January day ever in San Diego, and the fourth rainiest overall. 

Newsom’s letter highlighted that the bulk of the damage fell on “the most vulnerable areas within the county” – low-lying neighborhoods like Southcrest and Encanto that are also areas which are predominantly low income, with higher unemployment rates than the county average, and have few homeowners with flood insurance.

Among the findings cited in the letter:

• The San Diego Police Department responded to 112 rescue calls and 182 “flood responses.” Some 60 roads were closed. The San Diego Fire Rescue Department reported 148 rescues. The letter says there were two fatalities, with a third death still under investigation but believed to be related to the storm. 
• As of Feb. 3, 595 homes suffered major damage, 208 minor damage, and 55 homes were otherwise affected. 
• The online damage survey that the county established received 3,414 damage reports. Newsom said 1,179 of those reports said they had no flood insurance. He cited data from the National Flood Insurance Program showing that there were 8,000 active flood insurance policies in the county – but only 4% of those are in the most impacted areas of Spring Valley, National City and the San Diego ZIP codes 92113 and 92114, which cover the southeastern part of the city.
• Schools took a hit, with several getting indoor flooding, damage to exterior buildings and lots of debris. Two schools in National City, three in Spring Valley and five in the city of San Diego were impacted. 
• The state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, have estimated about $31 million in damage to public infrastructure from the storm. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System said Thursday that a portion of the trolley’s Orange Line between Lemon Grove station and Euclid Avenue remains down. The agency is running a bus service for riders between those two points. In addition a retaining wall at 65th Street and Imperial Avenue was severely damaged and is undergoing repair, said MTS spokesperson Mark Olson. He said MTS hopes to have all repairs done by next week.
• There have been 800 unemployment claims filed so far with the state, a number Newsom said will likely grow. At least 100 businesses reported being impacted by the storm. The damage too was not limited to urban areas: nine agricultural businesses reported $340,600 in losses, he wrote.
• In National City, where 60% of households make less than the federal average income of $75,000, the majority of the city’s residents are renters who Newsom said do not have renters’ insurance. Nearly half the homes in the Happy Hollow mobile home park were damaged, with floodwaters reaching 5 feet in the flooded homes. In an apartment complex next door 22 units were declared uninhabitable because of the water damage. 

In the letter, Newsom provides a measure of the impact of the flooding on the affected areas by using the Social Vulnerability Index, a tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The index uses data from the census to determine the social vulnerability of every census tract in the country, assigning it a score. The index contains four broad categories such as socioeconomic status, household composition, language spoken, and housing and transportation.

The aim is to help local officials identify areas that would need help before, during and after hazardous events like storms, fires or earthquakes. San Diego County has a “moderate” score of 0.53.

But the average for the areas most affected by the storm is 0.85 — meaning only 15% of other U.S. census tracts are more vulnerable, according to the letter. The 92113 ZIP code in San Diego has a score of 0.88 and 92114, 0.9.

The 91950 ZIP code in National City has a score of 0.96 – the highest of any flood-damaged area – and the 91977 area in Spring Valley had a score of 0.84.

In addition to making funds available for individuals, businesses and local government, a major disaster declaration provides money for both emergency assistance and permanent repairs. 

The data in the letter came in part from a Preliminary Damage Assessment conducted by the state, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration from Jan. 29 through Feb. 3.

Read Newsom’s letter here:

inewsource is continuing to cover the aftermath of the January storms. Read our coverage here. Got a tip? Want to talk with an investigative reporter? Contact Greg Moran at gregmoran@inewsource.org.