County residents urged to report storm damage
Reporting critical to drawing down federal dollars
– Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) is urging San Luis Obispo County residents to report damage to homes and businesses as a result of the storms that have created havoc on the Central Coast. The county is gathering this information so it can be included in a federal Major Disaster Declaration.
Residents can report damage on this county website: https://forms.recoverslo.org/Private-Property-Damage-Reports
“The devastation to homes and business in SLO County is heartbreaking,” Addis said. “It’s critical that SLO residents work with the county to report damage to property — it’s the best way to pull down critical federal dollars to recover and rebuild what’s been lost.”
If the county qualifies, federal assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
On Saturday, Addis was briefed by local officials and emergency personnel throughout the county.
Addis met with first responders and local officials in the following locations: Morro Bay for rising creek levels and flood damage at the Silver City West mobile home park; Los Osos for Vista Court residents; City of San Luis Obispo to assess flooding issues; Paso Robles and Templeton to hear about flooding issues and mudslides; Atascadero for flood damage; Oceano for a briefing on flooding and evacuations; Arroyo Grande to meet with residents dealing directly with flooding; Grover Beach and Pismo Beach to assess flooding.
At various points, she was joined by Congressman Jimmy Panetta, State Senator John Laird, and SLO County Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Dawn Ortiz-Legg, and John Peschong.
On Thursday, Addis joined with colleagues in the Legislature to request the Governor pursue a federal Major Disaster Declaration from the White House, and the Governor did so on that same day. The significance of a Major Disaster Declaration is that it brings critical federal recovery dollars to homeowners and businesses who’ve been devastated by these historic storms.
President Biden approved California’s Major Disaster request on Saturday, but for only three counties: Santa Cruz, Sacramento, and Merced. The Biden administration noted that “additional areas may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.”
