Storm damage: what to do

Storm damage? Do it in this order: stay safe, document everything, then hire carefully. Unlicensed contractors often prey on disaster survivors (Contractors State License Board), and older homeowners get the first knock on the door.

Text PJ

• Downed power line or a tree on a line: stay far away and call 9-1-1. SDG&E outage map.
• Flooded road: turn around. A few inches of moving water can sweep a car away.
• Water inside: if it reaches outlets or the panel, shut the power off at the main only if you can do it standing somewhere dry.

The storm itself: Rachel tracker · free sandbags · before, during and after.

• Photos and video of every room and the outside before you clean up, with dates.
• Keep receipts for emergency fixes that stop more damage, like a tarp or water removal.
• Write down every call with your insurer: date, name, what they said.

Questions or a problem with a claim: the California Department of Insurance, 1-800-927-4357. PJ doesn't give insurance advice; he can sort the photos and paperwork.

• Check the license before anything else: CSLB Check a License.
• Down payment: no more than $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less. A contractor can't ask for more.
• Never sign a contract or change order that pays ahead of the work actually done.
• Every other payment should be listed in the contract.
• After a declared disaster, the contract must be fixed-price: no "time and materials" or "cost plus."

From the Contractors State License Board's Disaster Help Center. CSLB also runs Senior Scam Stopper seminars.

Counts of currently licensed contractors with a business address in each town, from the Contractors State License Board's data portal (pulled 2026-10-05). Plenty of good contractors work here from elsewhere; the count is just who's licensed and based in town. We don't list names unless a business asks to be listed.

For your home or a parent's: PJ checks the license and its status, gets up to three quotes, reads the contract for the down payment and payment schedule, and can be there for the walk-through. He never steers you to a contractor that pays him. A parent far away? The Parent Check-In Plan.

The package

Storm contractor check: $79 flat. License and status check, up to three quotes, the contract read for California's down-payment rules, and the walk-through.

Text PJ to book Pay $79 by Venmo

Paying first is fine: PJ texts you to set the time, and if you're outside the area he sends it back the same day. Solana Beach, Del Mar, Cardiff and Encinitas to start. No cut from any brand, seller or contractor.

Need a human?

This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.

Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · every 2027 Medicare plan · is my medication recalled? · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25. Your parent lives here and you don't? The Parent Check-In Plan, $25 a month.