Thousands of San Diegans are dealing with weather-related damage that's not an easy fix, and tenants are left wondering who is financially responsible.
“We're coming back here, trying to clean up, take out trash. My grandson lost almost everything he owns. It was laundry day. Everything was downstairs. All the grandkids lost the toys, couches. Nothing survived,” Rolando resident Donna Ferguson said.
Many San Diegans said they thought their renters insurance would take care of the damage. But some are finding out that renters or homeowners insurance by itself is not enough when disaster strikes.
“I spoke with my agent, and she said renters insurance doesn't even cover floods,” Rolando resident Eleanor Rubalcaba said.
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Resources after San Diego's January 2024 storm:
Silvia Lopez has been in the insurance business for 30 years and said rental insurance usually covers things like theft, accidental fire or water damage, like a burst pipe. Flooding, however, does not fall under that.
“Unfortunately, most of the people in San Diego don't buy flood insurance. Flood insurance is only required by lenders when you have a loan on your house or your building, commercial building, if you're in a flood zone, which we call the highest risk,” Lopez said.
She said the market for insurance right now is something she has never seen before.
“The market in California is getting tighter every day, every month. We've been seeing huge, tremendous changes since last year,” Lopez said.
She said her phones are ringing nonstop with people trying to get coverage before another storm hits.
“It's a process, and it takes time, and there's a lot of companies putting on hold everything, and it's very hard to activate a policy immediately in San Diego,” Lopez said.
She said California weather can be unpredictable, so it’s best to be safe rather than be sorry.
“Earthquake is also a problem here in California. Nobody buys it. It's less than 1% of the public who buys earthquake insurance in California, and we're in an earthquake zone. Same thing for flood. My recommendation, buy both. Don't hesitate to get it because I think it's worth it,” Lopez said.
And in every situation, experts say to always call your insurance agent and make sure you take videos and pictures to document everything.
If you have damage, the county of San Diego has set up survey for you to fill out so they can track claims and get an accurate picture of the destruction to submit to the state and federal agencies.
