A day after declaring a state of emergency due to an unprecedented storm that inundated San Diego County, the city's mayor Todd Gloria visited the hard-hit communities in Southeastern San Diego and detailed what is being done to help.
"I’m heartbroken by the losses I saw this morning," Gloria said. "This is very real. What we have is a large number of San Diegans that are going to be in recovery mode – not hours or days, but measured in weeks or months."
San Diego's Historic Storm
States of emergency were declared Monday evening by the city of San Diego, the city of Coronado and the county of San Diego after drastic flash flooding overtook homes, roads and buildings and wiped out cars and infrastructure across the region.
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"Nobody anticipated the severity of this storm. We knew it was going to rain. Our storm crews were doing usual storm preps like cleaning out storm drains. But the amount of water we saw yesterday would’ve overwhelmed any city drainage system," the mayor said at a news conference at an emergency shelter set up to house displaced residents.
"This was unprecedented. None of us alive have seen anything quite like it."
A state of emergency is declared in anticipation that resources and assistance from the state and federal government may be needed because of damage caused by flooding from the storm.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday also proclaimed a state of emergency in San Diego and Ventura counties to support recovery from the storms.
“I find that local authority is inadequate to cope with the magnitude of the damage caused by these winter storms,” Newsom said.
The emergency proclamation includes provisions facilitating unemployment benefits for impacted residents and waiving fees to replace records such as driver's license cards and birth certificates among other support.
San Diego chief operating officer Chris McFadden said the infrastructure impacts were significant. In San Diego alone, anywhere from $6 to $7 million in damage was done.
"This is what we’d classify as a thousand-year storm," McFadden said. "What’s clear now is what rain patterns were is not what they are today. We need to prepare for that."
A thousand-year storm means that a storm of a specific magnitude has a 1 in 1,000 chance or higher of occurring in a given year, according to the U.S. Geological Service.
City of San Diego
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Monday evening declared a state of emergency for the city as he urged residents to avoid flooded areas and avoid unnecessary travel.
"We have activated the City’s Emergency Operations Center, and our emergency responders will continue to address the impacts around the clock," the mayor said.
Shelter
The Red Cross established an emergency shelter at Lincoln High School located at 4777 Imperial Ave., for anyone impacted by flooding and storm damage.The San Diego Humane Society is also at the Lincoln High School shelter to help out any evacuees with pets.
The city has also opened a temporary shelter at the Golden Hill Recreation Center until 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The city was providing sandbags for residents in need. For a list of locations, visit here.
Homelessness
Chris Heiser, Director of the City Office of Emergency Services, said one of the city's biggest challenges during the storm was moving hundreds of unsheltered San Diegans living at the city's safe sleeping sites.
"Part of the most significant impact was to the homeless population. This was a truly impressive move to take 363 people during the height of the storm -- with flooding impacting every avenue – and moving them to a safe shelter at Balboa Activity Center," Heiser said.
A temporary shelter has been established at the Balboa Park Activity Center, due to flooding at multiple City homelessness shelter locations, including:
- 16th and Newton Bridge Shelter
- 20th and B Safe Sleeping site
The Inclement Weather Shelter Program has been activated. Individuals experiencing homelessness can show up directly at the locations to gain access to a bed. For a full list of locations, visit the Inclement Weather Shelter Program webpage.
County of San Diego
Late on Monday night, the County of San Diego proclaimed a local emergency on behalf of the Board of Supervisors since they anticipated resources and assistance to arrive from the state and federal government due to the damage from Monday's flooding.
“County residents are recovering from serious impacts from this storm. Some areas of the County received several inches of rain in a short period of time, flooding streets, damaging homes, and businesses,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas.
Coronado
The City of Coronado also declared a State of Emergency and activated its Emergency Operations Center. An emergency shelter was also activated at the Community Center on 1845 Strand Way.
On Monday, after the heavy rains severely impacted the city's sewer system, residents in the County Club area were asked to stop flushing toilets, running sinks, showers and faucets for the next 24 hours as city crews are working on repairs.
All Coronado residents are also being asked to reduce using their drains to help out the sewer system catch up. The city said this does not affect the drinking water supply.
By Tuesday afternoon, officials said the crisis had eased after a bypass pump was set up to help with drainage and that residents in that area could now safely flush toilets and wash their hands in sinks. However, they were still being asked to refrain from using "showers, laundry facilities, dishwashers or any other source that discharges significant volumes of water to the sewer system."
Anybody needing a shower could head over to the Coronado Community Center at 1845 Strand Way until 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Current road closures
There are still road closures throughout San Diego. Here are the following locations:
City of San Diego
- The River Valley has reached flood stage, and all river crossings in the Mission Valley area have been closed.
- Camino De La Reina at Camino De La Siesta (westbound)
- Camino De La Reina west of Avenida Del Rio (eastbound)
- San Diego Mission Road between Fairmount and Caminito Yucatan (eastbound and westbound)
- Qualcomm Way and Rio San Diego Drive (southbound only)
- Mission Center Road between Hazard Center Drive and Camino De La Reina (northbound)
- Ward Road at Camino Del Rio N (southbound)
- Camino Del Este between Station Village Drive and Camino De La Reina (northbound)
- Camino Del Este between Station Village Drive and Camino De La Reina (southbound)
- Avenida del Rio between Riverwalk Dr and Camino de la Reina
Countywide
Across the county, Caltrans was keeping track of significant road closures on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. See the latest updates here.
Transportation closures
The MTS transit system said extensive damage to the rail system and roadways has caused disruption to bus and rail service on Tuesday.
All three Trolley lines will be running at lesser frequencies than normal.
Orange Line:
- In service between 12th & Imperial Transit Center (downtown San Diego) and Euclid Transit Center
- Not in service between 12th & Imperial Transit Center and Courthouse Station (downtown core)
- Riders can use Blue Line at America Plaza or 12th & Imperial as an alternative
- Not in service between 12th & Imperial Transit Center
- Buses will be shuttling passengers between impacted stations
- In service between Lemon Grove Transit Center and Arnele (end of line)
Green Line:
- Serving all stations (12th & Imperial Transit Center – Santee Station)
- Riders should anticipate delays as the system recovers
UC San Diego Blue Line:
- Serving all stations (San Ysidro Transit Center – UTC)
- Riders should anticipate delays as the system recovers
Bus service is operating a full schedule but some roadway detours still remain in effect.
How to report damage
San Diegans can report flooding by contacting the City's dispatch center at 619-527-7500.
Report non-emergency problems, including but not limited to blocked storm drains, potholes, and broken street lights via the Get it Done app.
Contact your property insurance carrier to report damages to your property and learn how to file a claim with the City for flood damage.
Residents and business owners residing in the County of San Diego can submit their damages through an online survey found here. Please note that completing the voluntary form will assist the County of San Diego with collecting information related to the storm and does not guarantee that those filling out the survey will receive any disaster relief assistance.
