Local man on road to recovery with disaster-relief group after January floods.

SKYLINE – “It was mud everywhere. It was a mess. Two feet of water,” said Rodney Vesley, describing what his home was like after the January floods.
Now, he’s on the other side of the mess, and is thankful for the help that has come his way.
“The last nine months man, and then the winter time coming, it’s a blessing,” said Vesley. “I’m feeling real happy.”
At first, the house was where Vesley’s mother lived. She resided there for 53 years.
But after the floods, there seemed to be little hope for Vesley after the natural disaster came through.
However, one organization, Sister-Corps, came alongside Vesley in a road to recovery.
“They greet you every morning, good morning Rodney,” said Vesley. “I love it, I love it. So these corps women are just one of a kind. You can’t get no better people to come out and work.”
San Diego Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) partnered with Sister-Corps to identify homes, primarily for senior citizens, where volunteers could invest in.
Brenda Williams is the project director for Sister-Corps, an organization that mobilizes volunteers to natural disaster-hit areas nationwide.
Williams drove all the way from Pennsylvania to come help, and the other volunteers came from places like Maine and Alaska.
“We give them a little bit of hope and in return, that builds us up because that’s the most satisfying pat of this work is what we give to the homeowners,” said Williams.
Vesley said there are several favorite parts to his fixed-up abode.
“The walls, the flooring, everything,” said Vesley. “They’re professional when they come out and they do it.”
The ages of the volunteers who worked on Vesley’s home ranged from 40 to even 81 years old. The materials and funds used to fix his house were all donations.