City Yellow-Tags Home After Storms

 The fallout from last week’s powerful storm continues on Monday in La Jolla.

The after-effects of last week's rainstorms still plague homeowners on Mount Soledad. Firefighters have yellow-tagged a home on Via Avola, which means that it is not safe to occupy. 

The home is in the Colony Hill subdivision, whose homeowners association has been fighting the city in court for the past three years over a broken water main they claim has unstabilized the area.

Another homeowner, just below the home on Via Avola, has been dealing with the related fallout since Wednesday.

"I got a call from my wife at work, screaming there was a river of mud coming down the steps onto the patio and the house was going to flood,” Sean Erickson told the La Jolla Light.

Erickson's troubles actually started when a driver accidentally took out a retaining wall above the Erickson's home. Last week's rain flooded over what was left of the wall, down into the canyon, and into his backyard.

Erickson said fire crews trenched around the house immediately after arriving and that if they had taken five more minutes to get there, the mud would have made it all the way into his home.

Erickson said that even though the mudslide gave him and his family a scare they are feeling lucky right now.

"I'm lucky.  I'm blesssed.  My kids had Christmas in their home.  How many people lost their homes?," Erickson said.

San Diego was pounded by heavy rains last week. Flooding caused major damage around the county, with the brunt of it in Mission Valley, where Qualcomm Stadium, Fashion Valley Mall and the Riverfront Golf Course were all under water.

Contact Us