GLOUCESTER — Maria Karol found out on social media that her car had been destroyed.

As a snowstorm blew through on Jan. 4, friends posted pictures on Snapchat as flooding from the nearby Annisquam River swamped cars in the Gloucester High School parking lot.

Karol, a junior at the school, spotted the 2006 Kia Spectra she had worked all summer to buy submerged up to the windows in icy water. In the next spot over, her mother’s 2009 Honda CR-V also was waterlogged.

“We had heard no warning of a flood,’’ Karol said. “It’s very frustrating.’’

An estimated 70 vehicles were damaged when the parking lot flooded, many of them destroyed. During declared snow emergencies, street parking is banned in Gloucester, and residents are allowed to leave their cars in 15 municipal or school lots.

Though insurance will cover the financial losses for some, others didn’t have comprehensive coverage for floods. Among those who had coverage, some had outstanding car loans that ate up their payouts. Many had to miss work or pay for rental cars out of their own pockets.

For Karol, her mother, and others who lost their cars that day, the frustrations have been compounded by a city administration many think has been unresponsive and lacking in empathy. At a City Council meeting in January, residents who lost cars expressed anger and disappointment that the city did not do a better job communicating before, during, and after the storm.

Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken said she felt compassion for those dealing with lost vehicles, but the law forbids the city from using public money to pay for private property damage.

“Believe me, my heart breaks for them,’’ she said. “If I could give them money, I would. But our hands are tied when it comes to public money.’’

The high school property abuts a canal that links Gloucester Harbor with the Annisquam River. Despite the lot’s proximity to water, it had not flooded in several decades, and even longtime residents were shocked by the influx of water.

“The storm of ’78 was the last time people remember that sort of flooding,’’ said Eric Smith, the city’s fire chief and emergency management director, referring to the historic blizzard.

After the recent storm, the city contacted its insurer, the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, but was told the flooded vehicles would not be covered.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency did an initial assessment to determine whether the area would be eligible for federal aid. But the damage in Essex County fell well short of the $2.7 million threshold required to qualify, said MEMA spokesman Christopher Besse. Gloucester’s reported damage was roughly $325,000, he said.

“Even if there are disaster declarations,’’ he said, “they don’t typically cover cars.’’

Meanwhile, other Gloucester residents have opposed the idea of giving money to those who lost vehicles, Romeo Theken said.

“I’m getting phone calls from people saying, ‘That’s my taxpayer money — I’m not getting my taxes raised,’ ’’ she said.

At the January City Council meeting, the seven affected residents who spoke focused as much on communication as cost.

Julie Cleveland lost her red 2009 Toyota Corolla, the car she used for personal transportation and to drive her elderly mother to medical appointments. She had just finished paying off her car loan, and the loss was shocking and traumatic, she said.

She thinks residents should have been warned that the lot is at a low enough elevation to flood, and there should have been signs warning residents they were parking at their own risk.

Cleveland also is angry at what she sees as a lack of communication from the city during the storm and the days that followed. She regularly checked the city website and the mayor’s Facebook page for updates on the flooding but found nothing, she said.

“The worst thing over those four days was the total lack of communication from the city,’’ she said. “They just abandoned us for those four days.’’

After the storm, Karol and her mother asked that their cars be towed to her grandmother’s house. However, the vehicles were brought to the tow company lot on the other side of the city. No one ever notified them they were there, Karol said.

Since the storm, Karol and her mother have tried several times to get information or answers from the city. They have visited City Hall and called the mayor’s office several times, but have gotten no calls back, they said.

The only response they have received, Karol said, is a form letter sent by James Destino, Gloucester chief administrative officer, to those who spoke at the City Council meeting. The letter outlines the impact of the storm, the efforts city agencies and nonprofits made to help residents, and the limitations the city faced in offering any financial assistance.

City Council president Paul Lundberg said the board heard residents’ concerns and is ready to improve the city’s approach.

“The issue of communication and how we handle storm preparedness is certainly something we will continue to work on,’’ he said.

Those who lost their cars are slowly dealing with the damage.

Cleveland just replaced her flooded car with a 2014 Corolla, this one blue. Karol bought a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta with her most recent paycheck and money from a GoFundMe campaign she ran after the flood. Still, she has ongoing concerns about paying for insurance, repairs, and gas.

“It’s paycheck to paycheck,’’ she said. “My bank account is completely dry.’’

Sarah Shemkus can be reached at seshemkus@gmail.com.