SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Flood victims still out of their homes and staying in hotels are still struggling.
While the mud and debris are gone, many are now dealing with serious mental health struggles.
Christina Aguirre remembers the exact moment she realized she needed to reach out for help.
"In my car, in traffic, having a full-on panic attack, like about to pass out and I was like, okay I need to do something," says Aguirre.
It was recent, nearly two months after the January storm, that devastated her home on South 42nd Street. ABC 10News first introduced you to her family the week of the flood, they lost everything.
"The emotions just came flooding, I literally cried for a week last week, I took work off for 40 hours straight," says Aguirre, something she's never felt before.
Christina is not the only one struggling, volunteers who work with flood victims say they’ve spent countless hours with people processing their loss and trying to rebuild.
Charlotte Macera is a counselor who’s stepped in when people were at their lowest. She is who Christina called when she needed help.
"Providing a safety plan with healthy coping tools and just being a consistent face in the community," Macera.
There are mental health resources available through several local non-profits and a helpline through FEMA, but Macera thinks they’re needs to be on-site help at the hotels for urgent cases.
"So they need to be able to walk down, and talk to somebody as these suicidal thoughts are happening, as the stress is heightened," says Macera.
Aguirre has already taken the first step, starting the intake process to see a therapist, and wants to encourage others, that it’s okay to ask for help.
FEMA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have a Disaster Distress Helpline that you can call if you are struggling. The number is 800-985-5990. The helpline is free and offered in multiple languages.
