SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's been more than two months since a storm brought floodwaters into southeast San Diego, washing Maria Garcia's family out of their home on Beta Street.
"To this day, my mom's house is uninhabitable," Garcia said. "If you go back, all the furniture is gone. Everything: the cars, everything we had, gone."
Since then, they have received some help. The San Diego County has provided free hotel rooms for Garcia and over 800 other impacted families through its temporary housing program. But the aid is about to end in the next few weeks.
"A lot of people not only will not have a home, but they also don't have transportation from the day of the flood," Garcia said.
Beginning Tuesday, the county will start to transition flood victims out of its housing program. Some families have to leave in seven days, others in 14, and the rest by May 11.
According to county officials, the move-out date is determined by a few factors, including whether they have registered for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aid or filed an insurance claim.
"We shouldn't have to plead for the services that any human being is required to have just to live," Garcia said.
She is shocked that the county won't extend its housing program beyond May 11. Garcia has to figure out where she and her family will go next, including her 89-year-old mother.
"I'll be moving her into Todd Gloria's front yard," she said. "Why are you doing this to these families when you were the cause of it from the beginning?"
Garcia is worried that she and many of her neighbors will end up homeless.
For the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program participants who need clarity on FEMA assistance eligibility, inquiries can be directed to 858-715-2255. To register with FEMA, individuals can contact the FEMA hotline at 800-621-3362 or visit their website.
