The UCLA Foundation began disbursing funds today to people whose vehicles were destroyed or seriously damaged in the flooding caused by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power water main break July 29.
A total of 248 people will each receive a check for $229.43 from the Chancellor’s Emergency Flood Relief Fund. The fund, which collected $56,900 in just a few weeks, was established by the UCLA Spark crowdfunding platform in response to requests from friends of UCLA who had asked how they could help those who were affected by the flood. The fund is now closed.
The fund was intended to assist those with immediate and acute needs — for example, those who lack insurance or couldn’t immediately absorb insurance deductible payments or other costs while they await reimbursement from their insurance providers.
“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,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block in a statement last week. “Our objective is to ease the inconvenience and help people recover as much as possible.”
In addition to the Emergency Flood Relief Fund, UCLA has made interest-free loans available to those who need additional assistance for financing replacement vehicles for those lost in the flood. In an August 13 email to about 100 people who are eligible, UCLA administrative vice chancellor Jack Powazek said loans for up to $5,000 are available, to be repaid over two years through payroll deduction.
UCLA’s Office of Student Affairs has also made emergency loans and other forms of assistance available to students.
Nearly 1,000 vehicles parked in structures 4 and 7 were stranded for several days after the water main break. Of those, approximately 260 were declared total losses or sustained serious damage.