Assistance

State grants are expected to go to nonprofit organizations to provide financial assistance to people recovering from floods or storms, the governor's office said.

The nonprofit organizations will interview applicants in person “to minimize the risk of fraud” and provide preloaded debit cards or a check, said Scott Murray, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services.

Local elected leaders say hundreds of residents don't qualify for FEMA funding because of their immigration status but have lost work or sustained damage to homes and vehicles. Many agricultural workers suddenly lost work income because of flooded fields, advocates said.

Luis Alejo, a Monterey County supervisor, has been outspoken about the need for more state and federal assistance for Pajaro, a small, mostly farmworker community that severely flooded when a levee failed in March. On May 4, Alejo tweeted photos of damage in the community, noting there still was no on-the-ground assistance for undocumented flood victims and little word from the state.

“Here we are, going into the end of May, and there's still no Rapid Response Fund money,” Alejo told CalMatters on May 22. “Maybe we've got to take out the `rapid,' because it doesn't feel rapid.”

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from Bakersfield, said farmworkers and others impacted by flooding in her district also need assistance. During a recent visit to the still flooded Tulare Lake region, Hurtado learned that 1,300 farmworkers in Kings County had been laid off, she said.

Undocumented workers are, by law, ineligible for federally funded programs such as unemployment benefits or disaster aid from FEMA.

Hurtado said some of her constituents already were discouraged by long delays in other forms of promised financial assistance.

For instance, she said, it's rare to find a farmworker who didn't wait in long lines earlier this year to receive a $600 check or debit card from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm and Food Workers Relief Grant Program, for having worked in frontline agricultural or food industry jobs in 2020.

Some who waited never received the funds, she said, while others were targeted by scammers charging fees to “process” the $600 relief payments.

Qualifying families and individuals living in flooded counties, such as Monterey, Kern, Tulare and Madera, can apply for FEMA help to repair damaged homes or property. Because the White House declared major disasters in several California counties, those residents also can seek help from state and federal disaster assistance centers.

Preliminary numbers from FEMA show many who thought they qualified for emergency assistance didn't initially get it. As of May 30, FEMA approved for assistance about 43% of Californians who applied due to the storms, including 35% of applicants in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including Alejo's district and the town of Watsonville.

Funds for the state's program — called the Storm Assistance for Immigrants Project — will be available through May 31, 2024, or until all funds are exhausted. Assistance will

be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and applicants can only seek help from the nonprofit organization assigned to their county or area.

State officials also urged storm victims — including those who are unsure about their eligibility — to seek guidance in the state's disaster resource guide for immigrants on the social services department's website. It says households with at least one member with legal status can qualify for federal aid.

The deadline for people to register with FEMA for disaster assistance is June 5. Once registered, they can access a number of other programs such as legal services, unemployment assistance and crisis counseling.

Local and state officials say more needs to be done. Hurtado said she has repeatedly sponsored legislation to help farmworkers and other immigrant workers survive severe climate changes in California.

“If we're waiting months after a storm to get any help to the victims, then we're not serving our residents,” Alejo said. “The plan is not being carried out by whatever program that is there in philosophy, but it's not on the ground helping anyone out.”