Los Osos rallies to help flood victims with fundraiser, resources. ‘It’s all from the heart’
After flooding swept through a Los Osos neighborhood in January, the community has come together to help support the victims of the storm with resources and fundraising.
Community members even collaborated to host a benefit concert on Sunday for neighbors whose homes were damaged: The Diggin’ Deeper Los Osos Disaster Relief Concert featured five local bands and a silent auction, according to co-organizer Gary Freiberg.
“It’s been really a privilege to see how a community can come together to help strangers,” Freiberg told The Tribune. “It’s all from the heart.”
What do Los Osos flood survivors need?
While a storm pelted Los Osos on Jan. 9, a wall crumbled on the east end of a water detention basin owned by the Los Osos Community Services Department — causing water and mud to flood 25 homes below.
According to Freiberg, there’s more than $1 million worth of damage between all 25 homes. One woman alone was left with $150,000 of damage to her home, he said.
“One minute she’s fine and she’s in the comfort of her own home, and the next thing you know she’s got two or three feet of mud crashing through her door,” Freiberg said.
Flooded residents applied to their insurance companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funding to repair the damage to their properties, but some folks were denied funding, while others have to wait, Irving said.
Most people haven’t received enough outside funding to cover all of their costs, Irving said.
“What we’re hoping to do is try to provide some immediate relief between what’s actually needed right now, and what FEMA will ultimately provide in terms of assistance,” Irving said.
Folks need funding for everything between hotel rooms to new floors and drywall for their homes, Irving said.
Luckily, the Los Osos community jumped to assist their neighbors after the flood, Freiberg said.
“There hasn’t been a door that’s closed,” Freiberg said. “Everybody is open and doing what they can to get the word out and contribute and donate.”
New organization forms to support Los Osos
In the wake of the flood, a new organization formed to support the damaged Los Osos neighborhood: the Los Osos Emergency Coalition.
After the flooding, neighbors showed up to dig sand and debris out of people’s homes, pull out soiled carpets and help people move, coalition spokesperson Andrea Lueker said.
“It started out as neighbor helping neighbor,” Lueker said. “It was definitely a grassroots approach.”
The coalition formed to connect those whose homes flooded with any resources they could need, from finding housing and childcare to new furniture and assistance with moving.
Some homes were hit harder by flooding than others, so each person has different needs, Lueker said.
“There’s some people with minimal damage that are maybe moving back in the relatively near future, there are some people that have a lot of work left to do on their home,” Lueker said. “It’s really kind of all over the place.”
Residents whose homes flooded can contact the coalition at 805-540-1539 or losososec@gmail.com with requests for resources.
People can also contact the coalition to offer help to neighbors who flooded, like a contractor willing to give them an estimate for damages to their home, according to Lueker.
The coalition is routing all monetary donations through local non-profit People Helping People.
About eight people are currently involved with the coalition, including neighbors, representatives of People Helping People, the Los Osos Emergency Advisory Council, the Los Osos Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club of Los Osos, the Los Osos Chamber of Commerce, Los Osos Cares and the Facebook group Support Los Osos.
“Los Osos is an incredible community, but it really just was so emphasized by the amount of support,” Lueker said.
Irving said organizers hoped to raise a minimum of $25,000 via Sunday’s concert. People can also donate online at supportlososos.com.
People Helping People will distribute the donations to households according to need, Freiberg said.
“They’ve talked with the families, and they know what each need,” Freiberg said. “It’s going to be very, very targeted.”
Freiberg noted that the Los Osos Holiday Parade raised $60,000 in 2022, even though the event was rained out.
“It’s a really beautiful thing, how people can come together to help others,” Freiberg said.
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
