Flood recovery resource center opens in Spring Valley for San Diego flood victims

Following devastating floods, San Diego County officials, along with more than two dozen organizations, set up a resource assistance center at the Spring Valley Library in Spring Valley. The center opened up at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning where people received numerous services, including help with navigating insurance, household item donations, as well as canned food and produce.

The resource center is located at the Spring Valley Library at 836 Kempton St.

The center will be open Monday, Jan. 28 through Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., no appointment needed.

Flood victim services available

• Debris and household waste removal
• Erosion control
• Rebuilding permits
• Replacing vital records
• Assistance with navigating insurance
• Property tax relief
• Essential household items (bedding, food, water, clothes)

Here's what to do if you were impacted by the January storm, including grants to apply for

"If you have property tax damage, my office is here to help you with tax relief. If you lost those records that you need to get your FEMA application in, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate — we're going to replace it and actually print it for you on site so you can walk out and get relief right away," said Jordan Marks, the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk.

San Diego County is trying to get a grasp on the extent of the damage left behind by the storm. County officials are asking people to fill out surveys to get a better idea of how widespread the damage is.

"Self-reported damages from homeowners is about 2,600 reports and public infrastructure estimates of damage — we're upwards of 70 million," said Jeff Toney, the Director for the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

With that dollar amount growing by the day, federal relief could soon be on the way, according to San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas.

"We are close to meeting the threshold. There has to be a $70 million threshold to get the FEMA emergency. I want to make sure that I share that I've sent a letter to the president, we are making sure that we're gathering all the information," said Vargas.

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A mother of five loses her home to flooding

These resources could not have come at a better time for families who lost everything in the flood. Jessica De Gracia is a mother of five who told NBC 7 that she and her husband have been bouncing from hotel to hotel since her home of more than a decade was deemed unlivable. She's one of the dozens of San Diegans who showed up on Sunday hoping for some help.

"It's just been kind of rough, we just want something stable for the kids," said De Gracia.

It will be quite some time before people impacted by the floods can get back on their feet, but for now people like De Gracia said she's taking it all one day at a time.

"Stay positive, because I — it can be really overwhelming. But the kids just keep me going, you know? Like I can do this, like we can do this — God is going to get us through this, it's just — you got to go through it. There's like no way around it. That's just the way I've been looking at it," said De Gracia.