SAN DIEGO, California – Terrified homeowners had to wade through waist-deep water to escape their home in San Diego on Monday.
“The house I’ve lived in all my life just flooded. Scariest moment of my life,” wrote Hugo Pacheco of his ordeal. “This was me evacuating. Everything’s replaceable, but it just hurts seeing it all go. Please pray for me and my family.”
You can hear the fear and exhaustion in the woman’s voice in the video above as she struggles through water, at one point up to her chest. Her pants and sweatshirt were weighing her down and the water was cold.
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Another man and his sister could only watch as floodwater raging down a city street picked up her car and quickly carried it. It was parked on the street before the storm.
Firefighters and lifeguards performed 24 high water rescues from the San Diego and Tijuana Rivers alone in San Diego County. The San Diego Fire Department said crews rescued hundreds of others from flooded homes.
The NWS said 2 to 3 inches of rain fell over the county in the morning. The water level on the San Diego River was still rising in the afternoon, trapping some office workers. San Diego usually sees only 1.98 inches of rain for the entire month of January, the second-wettest month. The wettest month, February, sees 2.2 inches.
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Drivers on interstates were not safe either. Local media caught emergency crews trying to unclog storm drains on I-15, which was underwater. All lanes northbound were stopped.
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Some drivers ditched cars in favor of paddle boards.
Even four-legged friends needed help. Pacific Beach lifeguards pulled drivers and a very confused pet from cars near the beach. Watch the big guy unsteady on the surfboard while first responders walk the pup to dry land. Another guard guides the dog’s owner through the deep water.
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National Avenue in San Diego became a river. The floodwater washed away cars.
Waves were cresting on downtown roads and lapping against a paralyzed light rail train.
Neighbors helped neighbors try to save themselves and their belongings as the water rose. Water receded in one “lucky” neighborhood. The high watermark on the garage is well above the car’s engine, and the water has deposited mud on the hood.
The rain will taper off in San Diego Monday evening into early Tuesday. The next storm hits California on Wednesday, but major storms look to stay north of San Diego.