The rushing water. The frantic rescues. The mud that coated streets and homes.
More than two and a half years after devastating floods overwhelmed parts of Southeast San Diego, many residents say the trauma remains fresh and concerns about future storms have not gone away.
“I still suffer from PTSD,” said resident Judi Banks, reflecting on the disaster that upended lives throughout her neighborhood.
Judy Banks and her husband, Robert Banks, were among thousands of residents living in designated flood zones who recently received a flood preparedness flyer from the City of San Diego. The mailer outlines steps residents can take to prepare for severe weather, including creating a household emergency plan, signing up for alerts, purchasing flood insurance, identifying evacuation routes, safeguarding important documents, clearing drains and gutters and assembling an emergency go-kit.
But Judi Banks said the information fell short of what residents need.
“It made me laugh because if you’re going to give people information, give them details,” she said.
For the Banks, the flyer feels more like an effort to protect the city from future liability than a meaningful plan to prevent another catastrophe.
“If it floods again, they’re going to say they did everything they could, again,” Robert Banks said.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday, San Diego’s Stormwater Department Director Todd Snyder outlined efforts underway to prepare for the upcoming winter season and potential El Niño weather conditions. The department has been cleaning storm channels and removing debris throughout the city in an effort to improve water flow ahead of storm season.
However, city officials acknowledged ongoing challenges. The director told councilmembers that parts of the city’s aging stormwater infrastructure, particularly in older communities in Southeast San Diego, are not capable of handling the kind of rainfall associated with a 100-year storm event.
“Drainage capacity is particularly lacking in some of our older communities,” Snyder said.
Residents say they have noticed progress, including a nearby flood-control channel that has recently been cleared of vegetation and debris. Still, many remain cautious.
For neighbors who lived through the flooding, the biggest concern is not whether rain will come this winter, but how much will fall in a short period of time.
As storm season approaches, residents say they are hopeful city leaders have learned from the disaster, but they are reserving judgment until the next major test arrives.
“We’ll see. We’ll see. We will see,” Robert Banks. “They [city leaders] act like they have [learned their lesson].”