SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Ukrainian church in Spring Valley is among the communities dealing with the devastating aftermath of Monday’s storm. Church leaders told ABC 10News they lost far more than just church property.
St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church was inundated during the historic storm, as a river of rocks, mud and debris gushed through the property.
“It was a river of mud. We couldn’t open the church doors because of all the mud that had gone against it,” says Vera Skop.
Skop’s family were the founding members of this church back in the 1960s. It’s been a safe-haven for Ukrainians in San Diego for decades.
Now, volunteers, some of whom are refugees, are giving back. They worked relentlessly to remove tons of mud.
“Two, three foot of debris, rocks and muck," one of the volunteers says.
Skop says their insurance will not cover storm-related damage. They estimate $200,000 in repairs are needed.
However, she says the damage to the church's warehouse, where they had been collecting hundreds of boxes of humanitarian aid for months, was even more devastating. The supplies were supposed to be shipped to Ukraine next week.
"It’s soaking... We’re going to have to totally take everything out… See what’s in there," Skop says.
They say roughly $100,000 in supplies was either damaged or destroyed. They're working to save what they can.
“It’s a double whammy, a triple whammy, but Ukrainians are resilient. That spirit is truly amazing. And we’ll get through it," Skop says.
There are two ways that you can help. The church says they’re looking for volunteers to help them shovel, clean and figure out what’s salvageable. Financial donations are another way to help.
Follow this link to make a donation.
