The recovery process is just beginning in the wake of last week’s destructive storm.
Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal was joined by state and local officials to tour catastrophic storm damage in Los Osos and Morro Bay.
Security camera footage shared with KSBY by Chad Lawson shows the moments when floodwater inundated homes at around 4:45 p.m. last Monday.
“We had pretty much three and a half feet of water in the house and once it receded there was about a foot and a half of mud that had to be shoveled out,” said Manya Choboian.
The torrent of muddy water flowed directly into the home that Choboian’s brother had just bought.
“This is my brother’s retirement home that he just bought six months ago. It’s a total bummer. His wife was here Saturday, and it was the first time that she got to see the property and she was devastated, in tears,” said Choboian.
The home is now uninhabitable and has been deemed unsafe to enter by the county.
“This has been one of the most significant flooding events of our time,” said Democratic Congressman Carbajal who represents California’s 24th District which includes San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Congressman Carbajal, Assemblymember Dawn Addis, and Supervisor Bruce Gibson came together on Monday to meet with business owners and residents impacted by major flooding.
“It’s an absolute tragedy here on the Central Coast. We’ve seen historic damage,” said Democratic Assemblymember Addis.
The trio stopped at Vista Court in Los Osos to get a firsthand look at where 15 homes suffered major damage from a mudslide.
They also surveyed flood damage at Central Coast Carts in Morro Bay.
“I think seeing it first-hand is important and certainly, it’s devastating,” said Carbajal.
Those affected, meanwhile, say they will recover
“It was a disaster. I feel sorry for them but at the same time, they’ll rebuild. They’ll be back here,” said Choboian.
The long road to recovery is now underway as community members and officials work together to figure out what’s next.
“It’s been incredibly heartening to see the number of people who have come out to help one another,” said Addis. “We’ve seen friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors, and strangers helping strangers.”
Congressman Carbajal is pushing President Biden to approve a major disaster declaration for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Congressman Carbajal plans to tour flood-damaged areas of northern Santa Barbara County on Tuesday.
