Dear Friend,

I know that many of you are still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s storm – picking up debris, drying out your homes and businesses, and filing insurance claims. Unfortunately, there’s another storm heading our way, and now is the time to prepare.

A few things you should do now:

• Sign up for Alert San Diego notifications for all of your phone numbers.
• Prepare your home, pets, and businesses for a storm.
• Get and fill sandbags at these locations in the County of San Diego.
• Report non-emergency problems like blocked storm drains, potholes, and broken street lights through the Get it Done app.
• Find a full list of storm preparedness tips here.

Last week, I was home in San Diego, working to assess the extensive flooding damage in our communities, visiting local businesses, and taking action to fight our homelessness crisis.

Keep reading to learn what I was up to:

Helping Our Community Recover from Flooding Damage

Since last week's storm, I’ve visited Rolando Village, Rolando Park, Mission Valley, Spring Valley, and Lemon Grove with local partners to assess the extent of the flooding damage and help get San Diego the resources we need to recover.

But we need your help, too. In order to qualify for federal assistance, we need an accurate assessment of the damage – so please fill out the County of San Diego’s survey to report flood damage in your area.

Addressing San Diego’s Homelessness Crisis

It’s also important that we learn how many people are unsheltered in our community so we know what resources we need to finally end this crisis.

That’s why I joined the Regional Task Force on Homelessness for their annual Point In Time Count to determine how many San Diegans are experiencing homelessness and see how last week’s flooding impacted them. As we work to get more federal resources to address homelessness, I’m pushing to build more housing that’s safe and affordable, lower costs in San Diego, and provide relief to cost-burdened renters.

Meeting with Young San Diegans

I love spending time with young San Diegans and hearing what’s on their mind, what they care about, and their ideas for our future. This past week, I had lots of time with kids across the district! I visited Hancock Elementary School in Murphy Canyon, which serves many military families, and heard more about how the federal government can better support their food security and mental health programs. I also joined kids at the Armed Services YMCA in Murphy Canyon to make Valentine’s Day cards for local Wounded Warriors.

I met with the incredible young women at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace to talk about my work in Congress and what it’s like being in a male-dominated workplace. I also congratulated the students from Fletcher Hills Elementary School in El Cajon on graduating from Biztown, where kids can try out running a business, voting, opening a bank account, and more.