Help for Storm Victims: FEMA Arrives in California to Provide Relief

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media (CBM) – For Jessica Calix, a mother from San Diego, and her 8-year-old son, it was just another typical Monday. She dropped him off at his public charter school and worked on some volunteer activities for the Parent Teacher Association. However, later that day, torrential rain showers came and washed away the life she knew in a matter of moments. “I started seeing cars all over the place,” said Calix, who experienced firsthand the Jan. 22 storm that killed three people and significantly damaged more than 800 homes, including hers, in primarily lower income communities where the rate of flood insurance coverage is exceptionally low. “Within an hour I found out that my street is flooded. My neighbor Face Timed me from the water in her living room. In that moment I knew that everything was gone.” The storm dumped more than 2 inches of rain in just two hours. According to the National Weather Service, it was the fourth wettest day in San Diego since 1850. “At its highest point, there was 7 feet of water. A whole neighborhood turned into a lake. People were in there fighting for their lives. Rescue...