SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — Frustrated flood victims confronted San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas at a press conference Tuesday, pleading for more help as they try to recover from the January 22 storms.
On Tuesday the county notified some flood victims that their hotel vouchers expire in a week. The seven-day notice applies to people who have not registered for FEMA aid, have no proof of an insurance claim, broke the code of conduct, or weren't impacted by the flood.
But the clock is ticking for other victims, too, and some are concerned. The county's hotel vouchers are set to expire on May 11.
"I'm fighting for you, every day," Vargas told one woman. The woman replied, "But you're not fighting enough."
Vargas appeared at a press conference Tuesday morning, announcing temporary rental and mortgage funding expenses for flood victims.
But the victims didn't show up to talk about that. They came angry about their hotel vouchers, the amount of money the county is providing for food assistance each day, and the limbo they now sit in.
The county set up a program that houses flood victims in hotel rooms, as many of their homes are unlivable from storm damage,
"All we asked for is help finding us a place to live," Jerry Hernandez told Vargas. "Money is good, but it's not going to keep us happy."
Later in the morning, Vargas spoke at another press conference. This one was at the San Diego County Administration Building and was not related to the vouchers.
That's where ABC 10News asked Vargas what the county planned to do before May 11 arrives.
"Are there any plans to try to extend the program?" ABC 10 asked.
Vargas replied, " Right now we have until May 11th, so let's not get ahead of ourselves," she continued. "Let's try to make sure we get everybody in transition the resources that they need."
But for the flood victims, no announcement is not what they wanted to hear.
"It's been two and a half months already since this happened," Hernandez said. "They should have a plan for us already, either the county or the city. Where's the city in all this too? Where are they at? They're the ones that put us out of our homes because they never maintain these creeks and the storm drains."
While the county has been paying for the rooms, many of the flood victims live in the City of San Diego.
ABC 10News asked the City of San Diego if it plans to step up and help extend the vouchers. The city did not respond before the deadline for this story.
