San Diego

San Diegan Waits for City to Fix Storm-Damaged Hill in Kensington

The hill eroded and slid into Aldine Drive after a rain storm back in February.

A San Diego woman is asking the city to fix the hill behind her home after it was destroyed during a major rain storm back in February.

“My concern is number one safety, and second, it looks like hell. Simple as that,” said Pat Shinsky.

Shinsky lives off Aldine Drive in the Kensington community in the City of San Diego. So far, she has not seen any concrete steps being taken to fix the hill.

"It was early in the morning and dirt was over the eastbound lane of Aldine. So, I called 911," said Shinsky. 

She added, "By the time I got back from the appointment, the street was closed and they were backhoeing the dirt to the edge of the street, which is where it has been ever since."

Shinsky said she has reached out to councilwoman Georgette Gomez’s office and the Mayor’s office.

The City of San Diego and the state actually tried to prevent a hill slide like this by putting up a wall behind the homes off Aldine Drive years ago.

City officials said that after a large amount of rain back in 2004 and 2005, there were sections of the slope behind homes that started to erode. Back then, the City of San Diego and the state declared a state of emergency.

As a result, the city received federal grants to put up a concrete retaining wall behind homes.

Shinsky told NBC 7, the problem is the project didn’t extend the wall to protect her home. Instead, she said, crews sheared off the hillside, taking out vegetation that was already there.

"It had never adhered-- whatever they put here. Where the wall is, it is all taken care of," said Shinsky.

"Here, the plants and black material they put down weren’t going to hold and that was obvious over the years. I kept writing and writing and it was never addressed. I believe in prevention rather than waiting until something like this happens," said Shinksy.

City officials told NBC 7, the hillside will need both a short-term fix and a long-term solution. The hill is expected to be evaluated next week.

A solution is in the works and in the meantime, the area will be monitored and maintained.

The City of San Diego said there is no timeline in place yet for when a short-term or long-term repair will be completed.

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