FEMA is finally on the ground near Pajaro -- but questions remain over the rollout of flood aid.

On Thursday, April 6, Karen Marcos keeps a watchful eye on her young daughter on the steps of the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building while her husband is inside, seeking relief from the floods that have upended their lives.

It is the first day that government workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration are on the ground in Watsonville, aiding Pajaro Valley residents in need of help as a result of the March storms that drenched the region – flooding the Pajaro River, forcing the evacuation of Pajaro and impacting people across the area.

“We’re in need of money for food, rent, diapers,” Marcos says. Born and raised in Watsonville, she has worked in the Valley’s bountiful berry fields for two years, she says. But with many fields still soaked and out of commission, that work has disappeared for the time being, and Marcos has “no idea” when she’ll be able to earn a living again.

In the wake of President Joe Biden’s long-awaited disaster declaration on April 3, FEMA and SBA officials signed up nearly 800 households for federal assistance across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties as of Tuesday, April 11 – with Monterey accounting for more than 500 of those households.

With roughly 75 percent of the people impacted being renters, according to Monterey County officials, the most vital forms of aid include FEMA programs providing rental assistance to those whose homes are uninhabitable due to the floods, allowing them to find temporary housing elsewhere. FEMA also funds disaster unemployment assistance for those, like Marcos, who have lost work as a result.

Yet there are now questions over where and how the government can best deliver resources to those in need. Initially, FEMA and SBA set up at the Watsonville veterans hall, where state, county and nonprofit agencies had operated in a consolidated local assistance center since March 29. Yet the hall was not up to federal standards as far as Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and a lack of parking, according to multiple sources, and by April 7, FEMA and SBA had moved their disaster recovery center to Watsonville’s old city hall at 250 Main St.

The new location is considerably smaller, however, leaving little-to-no space to also accommodate various state, county and nonprofit entities under one roof. Those local agencies are particularly important to helping undocumented residents – many of whom are not eligible for federal assistance, but can receive financial aid through the state Department of Social Services’ Rapid Response Fund, as well as nonprofits.

The decision drew the ire of Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who blasted FEMA’s cramped quarters and criticized Watsonville City Manager Rene Mendez for refusing to offer as an alternative the more spacious Ramsey Park Family Center. (Mendez’s office did not return a request for comment).

By April 11, Monterey County officials announced an additional disaster recovery center at a tent in Pajaro Park to accommodate federal, state and county resources in one location, starting April 13. Officials said they were also working to create a hub for nonprofits and community organizations at Pajaro Middle School.