Port Hueneme residents dealing with aftermath of storms including totaled cars and property damage
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif.—Many Ventura County residents woke up to tornado warning alerts early Thursday morning.
Those tornadoes didn't materialize, but torrential rain did lead to widespread flooding.
“ 3 a.m. in the morning, I went in to the garage and the water all was almost at the level of my knee,” said Manuel Sevilla, who lives in Port Hueneme.
The Ventura County Fire Department had to take on 11 swift water rescue missions.
Jeff Shea, Division Chief Ventura County Fire Department
“Their car stalled out. They weren't able to move any further. There was moving water around their vehicle. In some cases, they were in their vehicles. Some cases they were able to get on the hood or on the roof,” said Division Chief of the Ventura County Fire Department Jeff Shea.
Port Hueneme residents received evacuation orders and many folks are still dealing with the effects of property damage and vehicle damage because of flooding.
Many lost their cars altogether.
“Today I have I like 12 cars to pick it up. This is my six cars. I have a six more to go. They're all full of water. Completely that most of the cars, all of it, the total loss completely,” said Tow Truck Driver Jesus Morones.
In addition to totaled cars, we noticed several garages were bent with many storage items damaged or destroyed.
Manuel Sevilla is dealing with a broken water heater and some minor flooding. He says he’s one of the lucky ones.
“In my case, I was lucky it didn't have too much. But there are other neighbors that have the water inside their homes and they have to remove all the carpets or the floor. It was not my case. In that case, possibly $10,000. $15,000,” said Sevilla.
Since many people in the area don’t have flood insurance for their property, they are being encouraged to report all property and vehicle damages to Ventura County Emergency Services.
The office hopes that with enough applications, they will be able to receive funding for disaster relief reimbursements.
The website for that is www.vcemergency.com
