NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Dozens of cars and even some people in U-Hauls lined up along Eighth Street in National City waiting to pick up free furniture being given out to people affected by the January floods.
“It's nice to have some help, you know financial, we don't know what we're going to do, although we have insurance we don't know what's going to cover, and its been a big process,” flood victim Richard Reed said.
CalHomeCo and other local groups partnered for this donation event, aiming to help flood victims refurnish their homes. People were able to pick up tables, dining chairs and other brand new items still in boxes.
“The people that were affected were only a couple miles away, so this is, you know, a win-win, it took a lot of effort,” CalHomeCo CEO/Founder Henish Pulickal said.
People who showed up to pick up items are still dealing with the daunting process of rebuilding their destroyed homes. Families took much needed furniture as they try to move forward and recuperate after the devastating floods.
“Everything four and a half feet and down was underwater for about six hours, so total destruction of everything, like the beds, the couches, refrigerators everything was underwater so we had to throw everything out,” said Garney Crews, who was impacted by January’s flood.
Garney showed up to the distribution to get some items to help restore his home. It's still a long road to recovery, and many families who showed up aren't actually ready for the new furniture they're picking. Many of them are still staying in hotels while their homes get repairs.
“Now I'm here to get something, and I'm going to have to store it until I have a chance to get back into somewhere to use it,” Crews said.
Many families said the things they pickup here will have to be stored elsewhere while their homes get fully repaired. Meanwhile, volunteers were busy bringing out furniture piece by piece for the people who need it most.
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