Flood waters on the central coast are receding, but uncertainty for farming communities grows

Uncertainty is growing among people who live and work in Central Coast communities that have been inundated by flood waters.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of agricultural workers were left homeless and jobless due to the floods.

Evacuees in need of assistance stopped at Westview Presbyterian Church in Watsonville on Wednesday.

“I was looking for help with clothes for my kids,” said Jessica Cervantes of Pajaro.

Both she and her husband work in agriculture. She doesn’t know what they’ll do for money now.

“We have cars, we have to pay for insurance, we have to pay for where we stay, for food,” she said. “It’s difficult.”

The founders of Raíces y Cariño, which helps farm workers, have taken action by opening a donation center where evacuees can go to get clothes, food and diapers. So many donations came in that they had to move from their site to the church.

“It was a very heartfelt experience, but also heartbreaking because we don’t just hand out food and diapers, we also check in person,” said Nora Yerena of Raíces y Cariño. “These are members of our community, they are our friends, they go to school with our children.”

On a larger scale, agriculture was hit hard. The Farm Bureau said the impact would be worse than the January hurricanes, which caused about $330 million in damage.

The California Strawberry Commission said about 20% of farms in the Pajaro area were affected by flooding.

They would start harvesting in a few weeks, but until the water subsides, it’s too early to tell how bad things will be.

“Many of them have been running their farms for generations as family farms,” said Jeff Cardinale of the Strawberry Commission. “They are obviously very worried. Some of them have significant damage, and some do not.