FEMA assistance denied for Stanislaus County households stricken by January storms

Ken Carlson
·2 min read

Individuals and families in Stanislaus County won’t receive federal assistance for damages to homes and properties caused by the severe storms in January.

In a letter last week, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse informed affected residents and businesses that the local damages did not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency threshold for the individual assistance program.

FEMA notified Gov. Gavin Newsom in late February that storm impacts in Stanislaus and 34 other counties were “not of the severity and magnitude” to qualify for the federal relief. The state’s largest counties were among those denied.

The Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services doesn’t think there are sufficient grounds for an appeal, said sheriff’s Deputy Raj Singh, an OES spokesman.

The federal agency declared a major disaster in California in January because of severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, which authorized assistance for individuals and households in 14 counties and for damage to public facilities in 44 counties including Stanislaus.

More widespread flood damage to homes in San Joaquin and Merced counties qualified the two neighboring jurisdictions for assistance to households.

A Merced airport vehicle navigates floodwater along Willowbrook Drive near Carol Gabriault park in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.
A Merced airport vehicle navigates floodwater along Willowbrook Drive near Carol Gabriault park in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

In late January, Stanislaus County OES said the local damage to private property needed to meet FEMA’s threshold of 25 houses or businesses that sustained significant damage.

Singh said not enough residents and property owners completed the process of reporting damage and filling out paperwork.

“This was after our staff went out in the field and attempted to help individuals complete the paperwork,” Singh said by email. “This is unfortunate for those who did complete the paperwork, but we still did not meet the FEMA threshold as a county overall.”

Supervisor Terry Withrow said he hoped people have insurance to cover damages in flood-prone areas of the county. The county can try again to get federal assistance for people affected by flooding this month, he said.

“It’s always worth trying,” Withrow said. “If there is more damage, we will try again. We are always trying to get tax money from the federal government and state coming back to our county.”

Singh said county OES is asking nonprofit organizations if they can offer help to households struggling to repair homes.

Residents with storm damage to homes or property that occurred in March can fill out an initial “Independent Public Assistance” survey on the Stanemergency.com website.

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