How a Network of Partners Helped Maggie Diaz Rebuild After Berks County Flooding

On July 9, 2023, severe storms dropped more than five inches of rain on Berks County in just a few hours, and flash floods damaged houses, businesses, and schools. Unlike other storms that received national attention, the flood was not declared an emergency by FEMA.

For residents like Maggie Diaz, recovery would take years—and a team of caring community members from Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern PA (LDR), Team Rubicon, the Berks County Redevelopment Authority, and volunteers from Trinity Lutheran Church in Wernersville and neighboring congregations.

“My basement was literally covered in water from back to front, left to right,” Diaz said. “The basement was very damaged. I would say it was more than six inches of water.”

The deluge left behind soaked walls, mold, debris, and thousands of dollars of ruined belongings. Water had forced its way through a basement window during the torrential downpour, filling the space and making it unsafe and unusable.

Team Rubicon on Cleanup

After the flood, Diaz connected with LDR at the Multi-Agency Resource Center, but due to a lack of volunteers and resources, progress was slow. When Sue Wack, a caseworker for LDR, visited the following August, it was clear that the basement would need a muck out to remove the mud and debris.

Wack connected with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, who assessed the basement and took on the grueling work of removal.

“They worked their tailbones off,” Diaz said. “They took everything out and peeled back most of the walls from the basement.”

That initial cleanup was a critical step—but it was only the beginning.

A Heartbreaking Setback

After the muck-out, progress stalled again. Volunteers were scarce, so Diaz secured an SBA loan and hired a contractor she had worked with before. Unfortunately, the contractor took her money but never completed the work.

The setback was disheartening, but Wack and Diaz would not be deterred. “To do this work, you must be dedicated. You must want to help people,” Wack said. “So, we got to talking about Trinity Lutheran.”

Partners in the Path Forward

The church, located just minutes from Diaz’s home, had an experienced disaster response team.

When members from LDR and Trinity Lutheran Church—including Kevin Kurtz, Sue Wack, and Julia Frank, Lutheran Disaster Response Coordinator for Eastern Pennsylvania—visited Diaz’s home, they were surprised to discover she was still moving forward with repairs.

Through the Redevelopment Authority of Berks County, Diaz had secured partial funding that paid for insulation, a painted floor, and a suspended ceiling.

“She was three quarters of the way there by the time we got re-involved,” Wack said.

Trinity’s team committed to finishing the basement. With LDR covering the cost of materials and securing significant discounts through Lowe’s, volunteers were able to put up furring strips and install drywall—and the full recovery that had lingered unfinished for months was completed in days.

“Without Kevin and his team, we would have been lost,” Wack said. “We’d still probably not be done.”

Trinity Lutheran Church Brings Experience and Helping Hands

As a leader with Trinity’s disaster response team, Kurtz has traveled to places like El Salvador, North Carolina, and Kentucky as part of their mission. His experience has given him a deep understanding of what it takes to help people recover.

“Many don’t realize how long it takes for people affected by these events to get back on their feet. It takes a long time to get through the process of getting approved for funding and then a long time to get people in to do the work. It’s not unusual for this stuff to go on for two years,” he explains.

“We had six people work over the course of five days on Maggie’s project, and she was very pleased. It was a positive experience for everyone involved. She is one of the most thankful and gracious people I have met doing this work,” Kurtz said.

A Faith Community is Like Winning Lotto

For Diaz, the experience was overwhelming in the best possible way.

“Thank God—literally thank God—for the Lutheran Church,” she said. “It was amazing. They got this done in less than a week. It was done to perfection. I had tears of gratitude. It’s better than winning Lotto when people want to give out of the kindness of their own hearts.”

Today, Diaz’s basement is no longer a reminder of loss, but a symbol of community.