Report submitted by Judy Lewis and the Cal-Pac Disaster Task Force

In January 2024, an historic rainstorm doused San Diego with nearly three inches of rain in a very short time. Areas of the city flooded and hundreds of houses were inundated with feet of water. Many homes lacked insurance, so volunteers from many agencies have been working for nearly two years to assist homeowners.

In once case, a Volunteer Disaster Case Management worker has been working with a homeowner as an advocate to secure services after exhausting all federal, state and local government assistance. The case manager and Karl Ports secured, among other services, the resources to replace their leaking roof.  

On November 1, 2025, a team of eleven volunteers including United Methodist Early Response Team members and Southern Baptists, organized and led by Karl Ports, were able to begin addressing significant interior damage now that the roof is repaired.

The home needed to be emptied in order to complete structural repairs, so part of the process that day was to help the homeowners sort through all belongings and putting items in storage. The team worked together to clear the front room except for a large refrigerator and two pianos. Water leakage had already collapsed portions of the ceiling so many items had dust and plaster embedded. 

Early Response volunteer work takes flexibility, often a lot of time and patience. This house, nearly two years after the disaster, will need more volunteers and many more visits before we can attest to “Safe, Secure and Sanitary.”