Some victims of this month's El Nino heavy rains were victimized not once but twice when suspects burglarized their flooded homes.
When El Nino rained down on San Diego, storm water poured into 28-year-old Kelly Fouquier's Point Loma apartment.
"I'm probably not going to be able to keep any of the stuff that was damaged," she said looking at the scene around her.
Calf-high flood water damaged furniture, photos and irreplaceable mementos and forced her into a hotel.
Two days after the flood, she returned to her apartment on the 2800 block of Keats Street and immediately felt violated again: her home had been ransacked and burglarized.
“My belongings were thrown all over the place,” explained Fouquier. “They went through a lot of personal paper work and I think they were trying to find stuff to maybe go after my ID. "
Fouquier's apartment was not the only residence targeted. San Diego police confirm three other burglaries in the same Point Loma area between Jan. 6 and 7, the days following the storm.
“Those people are kind of the scum of the earth, you know," said Fouquier. “First they know you've been through a traumatic experience where your place is flooded. Then they target you and steal all your belongings."
To avoid future flooding that turned the streets into swamps around her apartment, Fouquier has moved out of her studio.
She set up a GoFundMe page hoping to help her replace damaged furniture as well as her stolen stuff.
“Recovering the furniture, I lost the clothes, the jewelry stolen. You know it’s all been difficult," she said. The renter does have insurance, but she's concerned she'll only get a fraction of what her belongings cost.
San Diego police said they arrested 19-year-old Sydney Holmes in connection with the crime where Fouquier lived. There is no word at this time on whether he's tied to the other crimes.
