Moss Beach family displaced by storm

“I had an LED light with me,” said Cordova, who explained that her neighborhood was still experiencing a blackout. “I turned it on, and I looked at the unbelievable, horrible sight. We had a car underneath a tree, and we had a tree on top of our house.”

As the rain and wind persisted, Cordova drove back hoping to get cellphone reception, which had been spotty all day. En route, she had a panic attack.

“I actually did manage to call 911, but I was kind of hyperventilating at the same time,” said Cordova. “I was telling them, ‘I don’t know if I need the police or the firefighters, I just need help. My house is under a tree and I have three pets inside.’” Cordova also told the 911 operator that power poles had fallen near her house.

Then Cordova placed a second call, this time to her family. Her 20-year-old sister, Nicole Cordova, was in disbelief.

“I heard what Marcela was saying, and I couldn’t believe it,” said Nicole Cordova. “Marcela was breathing heavily, and I could hear the wind in the background, which was creating a lot of distortion. I heard myself shouting at my parents, ‘Marcela needs help.’ I didn’t know if there was a fire because the phone was cracking up and it was really hard to understand.”

Three fire trucks were dispatched to the Cordova residence. The first order of business was to clear away downed power lines. Meanwhile, Marcela Cordova’s family joined her at the house. Once the emergency workers gave the green light, Marcela Cordova and her mother went inside. They found two of the family cats under the kitchen table.

“They were just terrified,” said Cordova. “They did not move like they were trembling, but they were just in shock.” Eventually, the third family pet was also retrieved. “I was very fortunate to find my pets,” said Cordova.

The next morning, the Cordova family went to collect some of their personal belongings. Walking into her bedroom, which is located in the front of the house where most of the damage occurred, Cordova found a large puddle of water forming on her bed.

“It was not a pretty sight,” she said. “Tree branches were sticking out through the wall and the roof.”

Cordova explained that her parents knew the trees around their house were a safety hazard. Some months back, the family applied for a permit to cut the trees down, but they say the request was denied. 

In the wake of the storm, the Cordova family’s house is in need of significant repairs, including a new roof. The Cordova sisters said they spent the first few nights at their father’s auto repair shop. As of Friday, the family was staying at a hotel in Miramar.

“My parents are quite concerned about where we are going to go next,” said Nicole Cordova. “We do know that we can’t stay at a hotel for too long since it is very costly. Things are very uncertain at the moment.”

Nicole Cordova reflected on the value of empathy between neighbors and community support during times of crisis.

“I know we’re not the only ones who have gone through something like this,” she said. “I think that as a community, it’s important for everyone to support their neighbors however they can and with whatever resources they have. Also, just being mindful of what’s happening with climate change and putting people’s lives first.”

Marcela Cordova said she will always remember the concern that certain strangers have shown for her family in the last two weeks.

“We had people approach us and say, ‘Hey, are you guys OK? How was it? Are you guys in a safe place?’ and that was very reassuring.”