The home of Diablo Grande resident Linda Powell and her family was damaged by storm water on Jan. 9.
Shortly before 6 a.m., Linda Powell got out of bed, after she was awakened by her son, and soon was stepping in soaking wet carpet inside her Diablo Grande home.
The rain had poured overnight and a drain in the adjacent property owner’s vineyard behind her home was clogged, causing water to flood Powell’s back yard and along both sides of the four-bedroom house. The water came through the patio door, flooding the entire house, Powell said.
She called 911, and the dispatcher said the family, including Linda, husband Tom and their adult son, needed to evacuate the home because of danger of electrocution.
“We grabbed our medication, clothes and shoes and got out,” Linda Powell said.
The home was one of 20 at the Diablo Grande resort, in the hills southwest of Patterson, that were damaged by the intense storms that struck California in January. Powell’s home was flooded Jan. 9 as runoff from the heavy rain overwhelmed the community drainage system and scattered mud and debris through the resort.
Powell said water overrunning a culvert sent a stream into her neighbor’s garage, where knee-high water soaked a car’s interior.
Powell said her family amassed $1,000 in bills while staying at the Best Western hotel in Patterson, while contractors removed all the flooring in the house, carted away debris and dried out the rooms. The $46,000 cost has drained the retired couple’s savings, she said.
Powell and other property owners on the east and west sides of Stanislaus County don’t know yet if they are eligible for federal assistance to pay for storm damages.
The federal government approved a major disaster declaration Jan. 14, making individuals and households eligible for direct support in Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties. Hard-hit Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties were added to the declaration — and Stanislaus needs to be included for people here to qualify for the help.
Ruben Wegner, emergency services manager for the county, said cities, the county, irrigation districts and other public entities will be eligible for assistance if FEMA includes the county in the major disaster declaration.
Last week, FEMA assessed about $15 million in storm damage sustained by the public sector including roads, irrigation canals and Frank Raines Park in the mountains of western Stanislaus.
Representatives from FEMA and the state Office of Emergency Services will visit storm-damaged sites Wednesday to do assessments on homes and other properties. Diablo Grande is one of the stops.
Wegner said the county needs to meet a threshold of 25 houses or businesses that sustained significant damage under FEMA’s rules. He expects the state and federal agencies to complete the assessments and report the decision in a week or so.
Sheriff Jeff Dirkse called an end to a local emergency declaration Tuesday, which won’t have an affect on the FEMA decision.
County OES has encouraged people to complete initial damage surveys. “If the county meets the threshold, then we will be setting up damage assistance centers to help the public file claims to the federal government,” Wegner said.
According to a FEMA website, the disaster assistance may include help paying for temporary housing, home repairs and other costs such as medical expenses, transportation, childcare and moving expenses. Renters also can apply.
Individuals or families that suffered damage should pay attention to county OES social media including the StanEmergency Facebook and @stancoemergency Instagram, Wegner added.
Powell said she’s been told it will take six to 12 months to get financial help through FEMA. The agency expects people to first inquire about a homeowners insurance claim.
She said she doesn’t think her home insurance will cover the flood damage because it came from an outside source of water rather than something like a pipe leak inside the house.
The couple lost furniture and have to replace flooring and baseboards and possibly remove mold, she said.
“My husband and I are racking our brains on how to pull together the money needed to put our house back together,” Powell said.
The couple reached out to Western Hills Water District about the drain that failed in the vineyard last month. It could be another flood waiting to happen as she learned a developer that has defaulted on taxes owns the vineyard and is responsible for fixing the drain, Powell said.
This story was originally published February 1, 2023, 8:27 AM.
Ken Carlson covers county government and health care for The Modesto Bee. His coverage of public health, medicine, consumer health issues and the business of health care has appeared in The Bee for 15 years.
