Dear Community Member,

As our communities continue to endure severe winter storms and flooding and look to begin our recovery, I wanted to provide an update on the resources available to you and the work I am doing to secure federal support for those impacted.

On January 14, President Joe Biden declared a disaster declaration for Santa Cruz County.  This is a welcome response to a bipartisan letter I led with Sen. Padilla and the full California delegation calling for a disaster declaration for all impacted counties.

For Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara Counties, I continue to work with FEMA to ensure that they are coordinating with officials from those counties to make a proper assessment of the damages from the storms.  President Biden then will be able to make additional determinations for any disaster declarations in those counties as warranted by the results of those assessments. 

The Presidential Disaster Declaration triggers the release of Federal funds to help individuals and communities recover from the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred December 27, 2022 and continuing.  Such funds will be coordinated through the Federal Emergency Disaster Administration (FEMA) and can be used for assistance to individuals and households, emergency work and the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities, debris removal and emergency protective measures, mitigation to prevent or reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards.

Individuals in Santa Cruz County can apply with FEMA at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call FEMA’s disaster assistance phone number at 1-800-621-3362. Individual assistance includes funds for temporary housing, repair or replacement of homes, uninsured disaster-related expenses, and hazard mitigation, in addition to other critical services. For further assistance or information, call my office at 831-424-2229.  

Additionally, households and small businesses in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara counties can apply for disaster loans at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/.  SBA offers disaster assistance in the form of low interest loans to businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters located in regions affected by declared disasters. SBA also provides eligible small businesses and nonprofit organizations with working capital to help overcome the economic injury of a declared disaster.  You do not need to be a small business to access SBA home and personal property loans.

If you are experiencing flooding, learn more about filing a flood insurance claim through the National Flood Insurance Program here: https://www.floodsmart.gov/how-do-i-start-my-flood-claim.

Throughout this emergency response, I’ve kept in close contact with community, city, county, state, and federal officials to support emergency response efforts and ensure the resources of the Federal government are available and accessible.

Over the weekend, I surveyed numerous locations in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties to observe firsthand and speak to victims of the devastation.  

Rep. Panetta surveying storm damage and road repair effort in San Lorenzo Valley.

On January 11, I led and authored a bipartisan letter with 38 California Members of Congress to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA) Shailen Bhatt to request expedited support, funding, and other assistance to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). 

On January 9, I co-led a letter with Representative Salud Carbajal urging President Joe Biden to amend California’s federal emergency declaration to include San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.  President Biden approved that request.

Please see below for additional resources that you, your family, or your business can utilize as we continue the response and recovery efforts: 

MONTEREY COUNTY: 

Monterey County Disaster Website: This website includes information on open shelters, sandbag stockpiles, evacuation orders, and evacuation points.

Emergency Services Disaster Resource Directory

Transportation Services: This website includes information about transportation to shelters during emergencies (English and Español).

Shelter Information and Locations

Road Closures

Sandbag Stockpile Locations

Donations and Volunteers

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 

Santa Cruz County Disaster Website

Sandbag Stockpile Locations

Road Closures

Shelter Information and Locations

Donations and Volunteers

CalFresh Disaster Response: You may be eligible for reimbursement for foods purchased with CalFresh that were spoiled because of power outages. The loss of food reporting requirement has been extended until Jan 30, 2023.

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: 

San Luis Obispo County Disaster Website: Includes evacuation orders, shelter information and locations.

Current Emergency Information

Road Closures

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 

Santa Clara County Disaster Website: Includes evacuation orders, shelter information and locations.

HomeFirst Homeless Helpline: Call (408) 539-2105 or e-mail Home First Helpline to access the City of San Jose's Overnight Warming Location (OWL) program. HomeFirst’s Outreach team provides access to emergency shelter, showers, laundry, meals, medical services, case management, employment training, and more.

Road Closures

EMERGENCY WEATHER RESOURCES:

Evacuation Map:  https://aware.zonehaven.com/search

Latest Weather Updates at National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/

PG&E Outage Center: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/

PG&E is working to restore power to its customers, but continued strong winds and heavy rain may delay restoration operations due to unsafe conditions. Customers can sign up for outage notifications and view real-time outage information at the above website. 

Highway Closures

California Warming Centers

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

American Red Cross:

• The American Red Cross (Red Cross) provides emergency food, shelter, and disaster health and mental health services to individuals and families that have been affected by a disaster.
• Immediate Assistance:

          American Red Cross of the Central Coast: (831) 624-6921
          American Red Cross of San Jose: (877) 727-6771

• Find Open Shelters by clicking here.
• Visit the Regional Information Page by clicking here.

• Call 2-1-1 for local United Way Emergency Services
• The United Way provides on-the-ground disaster response, including raising funds; providing resources like food, water and shelter; mobilizing volunteers; and engaging local partners to ensure community stability.
• They also serve as a convener for social service providers to assess needs and ensure the delivery of ongoing support.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office for assistance at 831-424-2229.  In the days, weeks, and months ahead, I’ll continue championing the needs of our communities to ensure they have the resources and support we need to rebuild and recover.

Thank you,

Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative
19th Congressional District, California

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