San Diego, CA
San Diego first responders' long history of aiding natural disasters
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local first responders heading out to assist with the devastation from Hurricane Helene are now three members short.
A crash injuring a battalion chief and two captains marks the first serious accident of its kind in the long history of aiding natural disaster relief.
That history spans years.
From a series of wildfires in maui:
“I’ve never seen fire touch the beach and beyon – never seen it burn to the shoreline,” said Doug Nakama, a FEMA program specialist based in San Diego.
To flooding in Northern California:
“People losing their homes, homes being flooded, property being destroyed. The potential for people losing their lives,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Aide Barbat.
One task force deployment was Hurricane Harvey, which devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana in 2017, followed closely by Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm.
Seven years ago, the Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force 8 had just about one day between disasters to recuperate, gather their supplies, and hug their families.
“As the task force was arriving yesterday, to meet their families returning from Hurricane Harvey, it was about the exact same time we got the evacuation order from Hurricane Irma,” said Dave Gerboth, a Battalion Chief with San Diego Fire Rescue. “Certainly the families are a cornerstone to us being able to do what we do, I know that I couldn’t be doing it without having that support back home.”
Their assistance dates back to one of the most significant hurricanes in history – Hurricane Katrina.
Task Force 8 members, along with San Diego fire captains, were deployed for about three weeks.
“We’re primarily a rescue team, but we’re kind of a rescue team on steroids because we have that additional capability and knowledge,” said a member of the task force.
Whether it’s fire or rain, heartbreak or destruction, San Diego first responders have been there – then and now.
Joan Endres
OBITUARY
Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.
Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.
In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.
Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.
As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
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