The American Red Cross has set up a shelter at College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Ave. in the event of worse flooding, officials said Wednesday.
The agency said it would provide a place to stay, food and backup clothing, kits with personal hygiene items, emotional support and health services. The shelter will remain open as long as a need exists.
On Thursday, free sand and sandbags will be available beginning at 10 a.m. at Qualcomm Stadium, in the southwest corner of the parking lot under the trolley tracks, according to Councilman Scott Sherman. They’re being provided by Superior Ready Mix and the Urban Corps.
San Diegans should clear their yards of trash, such as plastic and boxes, as a flood prevention measure now that the El Niño rains have arrived, a city spokesman also said.
City crews have worked hard to clear debris from storm drains and flood channels, but their efforts can be undone by refuse that backs up water, spokesman Bill Harris told City News Service.
He said crews were able to do incidental clean-ups in all of the city’s channels, though major work requires state permits.
“Everything we touched did very well” during Tuesday’s heavy rains, Harris said.
He 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.
Around 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, and most of the others 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 Wednesday evening.
— City News Service
