Coronado resident Jane Mitchell had four to five feet of water in her house on the morning of Jan. 22.
A few hours after the rain had stopped, she estimated probably closer to three feet as the water slowly drained.
But there was still water up to an average person’s waist sitting in her home. The extra fridge in her garage floated around, along with most of her possessions in that space.
Flash flood warning
Flash flood warnings lit up everyone’s phones on Jan. 22 as San Diego tried to prepare for abnormal weather, cautioning everyone to stay off the roads and to only travel when absolutely necessary.
And the warnings were right, especially in Coronado.
According to Coronado Lifeguard Captain Sean Carey, Coronado city crew members such as the lifeguard, police and fire department were patrolling the area to rescue people that had been trapped in their cars or stalled out in the deep water.
Once that subsided, they started canvassing neighborhoods that were impacted to check on residents’ welfare and to do damage assessments on buildings and homes, he said.
We would really strongly encourage everyone to use caution and to not go around signage that indicate road closures or flooding.
Lifeguard Captain Sean Carey
“We would really strongly encourage everyone to use caution and to not go around signage that indicate road closures or flooding,” Carey said in a phone call with The Coronado News.
Carey said that the Coronado Community Center opened an emergency shelter for those that had their living spaces flooded.
‘Water rushed in’
Mitchell has a tenant living on the bottom floor and she rushed her upstairs when the flooding happened. Both women are fine, she said, although their belongings might not be.
The water rushed in like a broken dam, Mitchell said.
“The force that was coming in from outside, it was a force that it was like it broke through the dam of my garage door,” Mitchell said. “It was a deluge and it was not going anywhere.”
The city also released a storm statement saying that city crews are out patrolling the streets and managing flooding incidents.
It states also that the police department is closed to the public due to flooding in the facility and if someone needs police assistance, to call the non-emergency number at 619-522-7350.
And if it is an emergency, to dial 911.
Facilities closed due to flooding
On their social media sites, the city of Coronado and the police department both posted a list of streets that were closed due to the flooding, but as of Jan. 22 most were open, according to the city’s public information officer, Andrea McCullough.
As of Jan. 22, the street closures consisted of 700-800 block of Balboa Avenue, 600-1100 block of Coronado Avenue and Acacia Way at the intersections of Coronado Avenue and Carrillo, according to the city’s newest update.
John D. Spreckels Center, Coronado Golf Course and the city’s athletic fields are all closed as well due to flooding issues.
On Jan. 22, the City of Coronado declared a state of emergency, which is a prerequisite for requesting state or federal assistance. The city council will ratify the state of emergency at an upcoming meeting.
