SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Nearly 6 feet of water didn’t stop one man from rescuing his family’s two cats.
"Neighborhood is flooded, this is when my swimming skills come to use. Hopefully, they work," Japhet Perez said, reflecting on his state of mind at the time.
Perez indicated the videos that circulated online at the time showed his neighborhood and the extent of the flooding.
The alley behind Perez’s childhood home still bears the remnants of Jan. 22, marked by dusty and dried-up mud.
“So, this is my mom’s house. You can still see mud from the floods caked into the wood," he said.
One year ago, Perez braved the rising contaminated waters with a cage in hand, determined to save the family pets.
Describing the scene, he said, “When I first walked down this way, the current was coming this way so I could jump, and the current would take me a few feet, so I was like skipping down here.”
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: San Diego man swims through flooded home to rescue pets
Perez was injured during the rescue.
“I was scrapped because I was jumping from roof to roof. Fence to fence, I’m pretty sure my pinky's fractured because I can’t move it. Underneath, I’m bruised, scratched, bleeding, but I did what I did to get here to save the pets," he explained. "I probably was like, 'Oh, I don’t feel too good to myself.' It was cold, it was real cold water, nasty sewer water, and I was like, uh, 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Someone has to because no one else is doing it.”
Ring video footage shows neighbors getting the dogs out before Perez arrived. However, the cats, Louis and Armani, were still inside.
“Water was already in the house, so I couldn't open the door. I had to break this window here. Thankfully, I didn’t cut myself too bad. I got a cut right here — still have the scar. So broke it, came through here, everything was floating," he said. “I found Louis over there... that was one cat. And then I ended up finding Armani in my mom’s room in the closet.”
He put the pets in a cage and swam against the current to get back on dry land.
“I was walking on top of here. Just all the way down. Rooftop to rooftop, fence to fence," Perez said.
While Perez felt sick after the rescue, he did not suffer permanent injuries. Thanks to his construction company and public donations of materials, his family’s home was rebuilt in a matter of months.
“Life is pretty much back to normal. We lost a few memorable items, yearbooks, some photo albums, and that’s what hurts the most: The stuff you can’t replace," he said. "We’re all alive, all well. Built back all better. Not looking at the past, just looking towards the future.”
Perez emphasized the need for improved storm infrastructure and maintenance in San Diego to prevent future incidents. He has a message for Mayor Todd Gloria.
“Do your job. San Diego, for whatever reason, gave you four years; do something good because you’ve let this community down," Perez said.
