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Surviving a Flood, Discovering Hope

February 17, 2024

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Disaster Relief

For San Diego resident Lourdes, the trauma of sweeping floods in January 2024 is incredibly fresh. On her street, the water rose so high that she said, tearfully, “we had to jump… and I have no idea how to swim.”

Though ready to lead his family to safety, Lourdes’ husband Gabriel lamented that “we’ve been living here for 24 years and in less than 25 minutes, we lost everything.”

But, luckily for the two of them, help was on the horizon.

On February 17, 2024, the two arrived at an emergency financial assistance (EFA) distribution hosted by Tzu Chi USA’s San Diego Service Center. There, they received emergency cash cards to use for their most pressing expenses, some care supplies including eco-blankets (made from DA.AI Technology), but most importantly, emotional comfort.

“Everything I received is really nice, but the words they said to me brightened my heart,” said Lourdes, touched by the warmth and encouragement she received from Tzu Chi volunteers.

Help us make a difference for families just like Lourdes & Gabriel’s as they recover from disaster at https://donate.tzuchi.us/cause/hq

CREDITS

Director: Michael Mazur
Director Producer: Sarah Winters
Editor: Michael Mazur
Producer: Ting Fan

Related:

rainstorm , flood damage , financial aid , Stories of survival , survivor , san diego floods , emergency financial assistance , Disaster , Flooding , Tzu Chi USA , natural disaster , Disaster Recovery , trauma , san diego

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