After more than four months displaced by flooding from San Diego's powerful January 22 storm, many victims are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
More than two dozen families were finally able to return to their renovated apartment units thanks to a partnership between the Chicano Federation, donors and volunteers, who helped rebuild their damaged homes. So far, the first phase of the project is complete but there is still more work to be done.
Tuysiabe Christophe, who was one of hundreds of San Diegans forced out of his home due to the damage, is turning the page to a new chapter. He got a look at his renovated home in the Delta Apartments in Mountain View over the weekend.
“The stove is new; the cabinets are new. The sink is new,” Christophe said as he gave NBC 7 a tour of his newly renovated unit. “Now, it looks like a brand new house. You can’t believe the house was flooded.”
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His living room is now a mix of old and new, filled with the few belongings they salvaged from the flood waters that destroyed his unit and several others at the Delta Apartments.
Video showed the damage done to his apartment complex by the unprecedented January 22 floods. Since then, his family and other flood victims have been staying in hotels or other housing accommodations while units were refurbished.
He says it wasn’t easy.
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“Over there in the hotel, it was like one small room with the kids -- they want to play, they want to go outside, so it was a big challenge,” Christophe said.
The hotel didn’t have a kitchen, which forced him and his family to eat out a lot. He’s now looking forward to home-cooked meals. When NBC 7 asked what the first meal he would make was:
"I’m going to do Casaba with beans, like the African food,” he said.
Although it’s been a long journey, Christophe said this moment is an answered prayer.
“I feel happy to be home."
The Chicano Federation said all families are expected to be back in their respective apartments by the end of June.
