SAN DIEGO — The January flood left a trail of destruction. Four months later, we're seeing recovery efforts are still underway and help is needed.
Beta Street was one of the hardest hit areas in the neighborhood and Armon Harvey has been there every step of the way. He's president of the Harvey Family Foundation. Seeing so much devastation, his foundation jumped into action on day one.
"This isn't normally what we do for our organization and a lot of organizations that have joined, but we do it because this is our community and we want to see these families who were born and raised in these communities get to stay here," he said.
They've led many of the recovery efforts and have delivered thousands of meals to flood victims staying at hotels. Lately they've been mucking out homes, cleaning up mud and tearing out drywall.
"I'm in my late 70s right now. I don't wanna go through this," said Tony Tricarico, a property owner in the area.
CBS 8 was there while they worked on Tricarico's property. In a matter of minutes the flooding turned his world and his tenants lives upside down. The flooding displaced families that had rented from him for more than 20 years.
"I've been invited over for food and I know I've watched their children grow up. This is what I do and now it's like giving me a coffee cup and saying go drain the ocean. That's how much work I'm overwhelmed with," he said
His apartments had to be gutted and now it's a race against time to repair them so that families living at hotels can return home.
"We need more manpower. We need more funding. I know there are organizations out there getting funding to help with housing, but in my opinion the money needs to be funneled towards getting people back in their homes not looking for homes. We don't want to displace them even more," Harvey said.
He says they're in desperate need of drywall. They're hopeful carpenters, electricians and plumbers can donate their time.
"We just need help and the more help we can get the more we can make sure families are back in their homes just like it was January 21," he said.
As strong as the floodwater was, they're proving their commitment to the community is just as powerful. Learn how you can help, here.
Watch Related: Flood survivors turned heroes helping others, 4 months after the January flood (May 22, 2024)