
Rain fell throughout San Diego County over the weekend and Pacific Beach received 0.67 inches of rainfall Friday through Sunday. The weekend weather activity capped a week of rainstorms that started with a record-setting storm on Monday, Dec. 7. Record rainfall coupled with wind gusts of up to 50 mph combined for a not so pleasant day on Dec. 7. With their proximity to the ocean, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach were among the hardest hit communities in San Diego. Around Mission and Pacific beaches, most street corners were flooded and by mid-afternoon some roads looked more like rivers. But, as is usual when a sizable storm rolls in, South Mission Beach got hit the worst, with feet of standing water along Mission Boulevard making it hard to get around. Mike Yousif, owner of Mission Market, 2885 Mission Blvd., between Deal Court and San Gabriel Place, was prepared for the storm with sandbags stacked outside of his business. “No matter what, when we get the high tide and the rain at the same time we get the flood,” Yousif said. “The high tide is what kills us most of the time. If it’s high tide and rain at the same time, forget it.” Yousif said the front portion of his store was flooded during the storm, made worse by passing cars. He has owned Mission Market since 1982, and storms such as the one on Dec. 6, while hurting his business, simply don’t faze him. “It’s the same stuff,” Yousif said. “We’re always ready to go.” Among the peculiar modes of transport Yousif saw on Mission Boulevard during the flooding were a kayak and a surfboard. He hopes the city fixes the situation before the rainy season arrives in January. “We need them to fix the sewage – that’s the only thing we need,” Yousif said. “They fixed the north Mission sewage but not down here.” According to San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), a total of 92,000 homes and businesses were without power during the first 24 hours of the storm. SDG&E spokeswoman Sabra Moallem said they had between 60 to 65 crews working all night to restore power in various parts of the county. “This is the biggest storm that we’ve had in a few years,” Moallem said. “But we’ve done everything we can and we were prepared. We’re going to continue to be prepared for any future storms.” SDG&E also reported that as many as 44,000 of their customers were without power at the height of the storm. Moallem said that when the storm initially hit, SDG&E crews were ready for the impact. “When we expected the storm, we had already cancelled all the routine maintenance and made sure we had enough staff on,” Moallem said.