While flooding in California’s Salinas Valley region has had an economic impact, it has taken a personal toll as well.
Not only were many farmworkers left without a job harvesting produce from fields, but some of these same laborers lost their homes.
“Displaced housing is the single biggest issue by far,” said Christopher Valadez, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California. “You might be able to go back to where you live, but if you went back to a disaster then it was full of debris and mud and water damage.”
To step in and support the local community, many community members, businesses and charities came together to provide short-term housing, food and essentials. In March, The Grower-Shipper Association and Clinica de Salud del Valley de Salinas set up a mobile clinic at the main shelter for displaced Pajaro, Calif., residents, so services were readily accessible. The medical care was funded by a grant awarded to the Grower-Shipper Association, allowing the services to be provided at no charge to the community.
“While we were pleased that federal assistance was approved on April 4 to help residents, businesses and farms recover, the flooding occurred on March 10, so it was imperative to provide immediate assistance to this severely impacted community and address gaps,” Valadez said. “As we did during the pandemic, GSA and Clinica worked quickly to provide crucial services for impacted residents to offset delays in government services.”
Related news: Grower-shipper group aids farmworker community in flooding aftermath
While the federal relief is a welcome news, the pace of coordinating and securing government relief is often a long and circuitous journey.
Support and relief from community members and local charities are critical to serve the population immediately and in the interim weeks before relief funding is dispersed, Valadez said.
“One area we might be able to address [at GSA] is any health care, health care coverage or medical deeds, inclusive of medication for people who just had to immediately evacuate their home and their life was completely turned upside down. That is where we’re an effective stopgap,” he said.
The biggest issue is just putting the pieces back together, Valadez added.
“With the federal relief, support comes like rent assistance, temporary assistance or secondary living options on a temporary basis right,” he said. “Before this, folks didn’t have any of that, you know. They were either footing the bill, staying in a motel temporarily, going to the publicly available shelters, which were available, but were limited. Or finding whatever option they could with family and friends. Some were having to leave the region either permanently or temporarily because they no longer had a home.”
