San Diegans should clear their yards of trash as a flood prevention measure now that the El Niño rains
have arrived, a city spokesman said Jan. 6. City crews have worked to clear debris from storm drains and flood channels, but their efforts can be undone by refuse that backs up water, spokesman Bill Harris said. He added that crews were able to do incidental clean-ups in all of the city’s channels, although major work requires state permits. “Everything we touched did very well” during the heavy rains of Jan. 5, Harris said. Meanwhile, the latest in a weeklong series of El Niño-driven storms continued to soak San Diego County early Jan. 7, and the torrential rainfall, strong wind and hail was expected to wreak havoc on morning commuters.
In a four-day period ending at 4:05 a.m. Jan. 7, automated gauges collected 5.72 inches of rain on Mt. Woodson; 4.85 inches on Palomar Mountain; 4.69 inches in Julian; 4.05 inches in Ramona; 3.84 inches in Poway; 3.79 inches in Oak Grove; 3.18 inches in Descanso; 3.06 inches in Alpine and 3.05 inches in Rancho Bernardo.
There were no confirmed twister sightings as of early evening, though several areas, including Poway and Vista, sustained some damage from heavy winds, the National Weather Service reported. Over Jan. 6, the storm generated gusts up to nearly 45 miles an hour along the coast and considerably stronger in the East County highlands, with a maximum reading of 63 miles an hour on Palomar Mountain. As was the case Jan. 5, the cloudbursts left many stretches of roadway in various communities under pooled or fast-flowing runoff. Emergency crews rushed to rescue people stranded in half-sunken vehicles in Clairemont Mesa, the Miramar district, the Torrey Pines area and other neighborhoods, officials said. No serious injuries were reported.
Harris said the numerous problems that arose during the storm came either in the usual low-lying areas in Mission Valley, the Midway District and Ocean Beach or from torrential rainfall that struck Kearny Mesa, in the area of Balboa Avenue and Convoy Street. About 20 addresses in San Diego reported damage, though the extent at each location was still being assessed, Harris said. He said nine of those were homes on Cabaret Street in the Navajo neighborhood, where a corrugated metal pipe failed. Most of the others, he said, were commercial businesses. Storm channels in “many areas came way up to the banks,” Harris said. Councilman David Alvarez said he’s especially concerned about Chollas Creek along Gregory Street if it rains hard again. In case of more extensive flooding, the American Red Cross has set up a shelter at College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Ave. The agency said it will provide a place to stay, food and back-up clothing, kits with personal hygiene items, emotional support and health services. The shelter will remain open as long as there is a need. – City News Service