NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada spoke with residents about recovery efforts and city leaders about the progress the city has made over the past year.
Next week will mark one year since San Diego’s historic flooding displaced more than 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes in San Diego. Many flood victims have returned to their homes, but others still have a long road of recovery ahead.
Harrold Roberts is among the hundreds of San Diegans still recovering from the devastating floods last January. The home he's lived in for 25 years sits on Beta Street — one of the areas severely affected by the rising waters. He hasn't been able to move back in.
"The floors, they had to come up," Roberts said. "We had to do this whole back window."
NBC 7 asked him how he would describe the last few months, and he responded, "Stressful. Very stressful."
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Photos show damage left behind by record-setting January storm
A few doors down, Greg Montoya's home was also flooded. He's among the many flood victims suing the city over the damage. He says that before the floods, he made several requests on the city's Get It Done app to clean out Chollas Creek because it posed a flood risk.
"That day, 1-22-24, there was no storm drains, any," Montoya told NBC 7. "The creek was clogged at the bridge. This is non-functional, and the only storm drain that was functional was clogged."
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District 4 Councilmember Henry Foster III represents the area. In November, he asked Mayor Todd Gloria to allocate $5 million in relief funds for flood victims.
“I think it's prioritizing and investing in our underserved communities. Again, this is about our obligation, and I think, sometimes, we tend to cater to what we like to term 'high-revenue generating areas,'” Foster said. “And we don't put the proper attention in the residents that, I feel, played a significant part in making the city of San Diego what it is.”
District 9 Councilmember Sean-Elo Rivera recognizes the city is in a tough budget situation but also acknowledges many flood victims are still struggling.
“My hope is, is that San Diego across the city hasn't forgotten what it looked like to have San Diegans displaced from their homes, displaced in the neighborhoods, that there is a disaster that people are still recovering from," Elo-Rivera said. "And we will make the necessary investments to make sure that we do everything we can to prevent that in the future."
Meanwhile, Montoya said he will continue fighting for his neighborhood.
“I want a concrete statement with dates and times when stuff is going to be done, and if it’s not going to be done, that they are held liable,” Montoya said.
NBC 7 reached out to the mayor’s office and is still waiting for a response.
Earlier this month, the mayor responded to Foster's request for funding, stating, in part, that it “is necessary to allocate funds ‘prudently’ to help reduce cuts to other city services, including stormwater infrastructure to prevent future disasters.”
Gloria's response also stated that the “city of San Diego remains committed to supporting residents in their recovery and rebuilding efforts.”
