The City of San Diego is racing against the clock to clear the stormwater culverts of Chollas Creek after a recent storm clogged the system with debris. An emergency declaration by Mayor Todd Gloria has permitted teams from the city's Stormwater Department to start work this morning aggressively. The crews will begin in Southcrest, hitting the storm channel at 38th Street, and aim to work upstream to prevent the threat of flooding from a potential storm brewing for next week, according to a statement obtained by the City of San Diego.
San Diego isn't taking any chances, with contractors also being enlisted to help with the clearing efforts quickly. With more than 70 streets across neighborhoods like Mountain View and Encanto being swathed in mud and debris, the city has managed to clean up 16. No doubt residents will soon see "no parking" signs being placed temporarily to make way for the heavy cleaning machinery.
The Environmental Services Department isn't far behind, deploying 16 teams with 74 employees and 40 support staff with trucks on hand to remove debris wrecked by the storm. "So far, more than 1,000 tons of storm-related debris have been removed from the impacted areas," a news release stated, tallying up the mud, trash, and oversized refuse cleared.
To address residents' urgent needs, City teams have initiated a door-to-door service to make sure hazardous materials don't find their way to the landfill, including an array of items from paints to chemicals. "Today, City teams also began going door to door to assist residents with the safe removal of hazardous materials, which can’t be disposed of at the landfill," mentioned in the official news release from the City of San Diego.
As San Diego shoulders the aftereffects of the fourth-wettest day since 1850, the city is also taking stock of the financial hammering from the storm, eyeing federal disaster assistance. An online survey has been set up for affected residents to detail the extent of financial losses, a crucial step in qualifying for that much-needed federal aid. The City's dedicated storm response page, SanDiego.gov/storm, lays out further resources and contact information for those grappling with the storm's aftermath.
