UCLA has made emergency assistance and interest-free loans available to people whose vehicles were destroyed or seriously damaged in the flooding caused by the recent Los Angeles Department of Water and Power water main break on Sunset Boulevard.
In an August 14 email to approximately 260 people whose vehicles were parked in one of two affected underground garages and were declared total losses or seriously damaged, Chancellor Gene Block said the UCLA Foundation was releasing $55,649 from an emergency relief fund. Each person is eligible to receive at least $214. The money was donated to the Chancellor’s Emergency Flood Relief Fund, which was established by the UCLA Spark crowdfunding platform in response to requests from friends of UCLA who had asked how they could help after the July 29 mater main break.
Those with less acute financial needs are being asked to decline the emergency assistance so that others with greater needs may receive a larger sum and benefit from the generosity of UCLA’s friends. The emergency funds are scheduled to be disbursed on August 21, and the relief fund will be closed at that time.
The fund was intended to assist those with immediate and acute needs — for example, those who lack insurance or can’t immediately absorb insurance deductible payments or other costs while they await reimbursement from their insurance providers.
Separately, Jack Powazek, UCLA’s administrative vice chancellor, announced that interest-free loans are available to faculty and career employees whose vehicles were declared total losses or sustained serious damage. In an August 13 email to about 100 people who are eligible, Powazek said loans for up to $5,000 are available, to be repaid over two years through payroll deduction.
Student Affairs has made emergency loans and other forms of assistance available to students.
“The loss of, and damage to, personal property resulting from the water main break has generated a great deal of anxiety and caused inconvenience for many in our campus community,” Block said. “Our objective is to ease the inconvenience and help people recover as much as possible.”
Nearly 1,000 vehicles parked in structures 4 and 7 were stranded for several days after the July 29 water main break. Of those, approximately 260 were declared total losses or sustained serious damage.