{"id":427698,"date":"2026-08-08T23:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/427698\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T23:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:50:32","slug":"years-after-san-diego-flooded-can-it-handle-super-el-nino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/427698\/","title":{"rendered":"Years after San Diego flooded, can it handle ‘super El Ni\u00f1o’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tWhy this matters<\/p>\n

The city of San Diego is facing forecasts of record-breaking rains this winter, increasing anxiety for many \u2014 especially those whose lives were upended by terrible flooding in 2024.<\/p>\n

Greg Montoya wrote San Diego city officials for two decades, pleading with them to maintain the portion of the Chollas Creek watershed that runs parallel to his neighborhood. Meant to carry water from throughout eastern San Diego to the ocean, the channel instead had grown thick with vegetation, trash and sediment.<\/p>\n

A year and a half ago, on Jan. 22, 2024, Montoya\u2019s warnings proved prescient. San Diego County was inundated<\/a> by a torrential storm that overwhelmed drainage systems in a matter of hours \u2014 submerging streets, flooding homes and displacing more than 1,000 people.<\/p>\n

In Southcrest, where Montoya lives, stormwater jumped the channel\u2019s banks and rushed downhill. Many homes were filled with several feet of water. Some are still unoccupied today, their residents living in trailers, waiting for relief.<\/p>\n

The flood spurred dozens of lawsuits against the city, county and other government entities, which residents contend failed to properly maintain drainage systems.<\/p>\n

Now, as forecasts predict a record-breaking \u201cSuper El Ni\u00f1o\u201d weather system will drench the region this winter, city officials and residents alike are \u2014 once again \u2014 bracing for impact.<\/p>\n

\"\"Greg Montoya shows documents from his years of advocating for better management of the Chollas Creek channel which runs behind his home in San Diego\u2019s Southcrest neighborhood, July 28, 2026. (Zo\u00eb Meyers for inewsource)<\/p>\n

\u2018We could be at this for years\u2019<\/p>\n

Montoya\u2019s is the first of over 50 coordinated lawsuits filed in San Diego Superior Court. Almost 2,000 victims are alleging that half a dozen public entities failed to properly maintain flood channels from Southcrest to Spring Valley.<\/p>\n

Attorney Evan Walker is one of a team of lawyers representing the victims. He said his clients range from renters and families to churches, nonprofits and businesses.<\/p>\n

Flood victims suffered not only property loss but also physical injuries, economic damage and trauma, he said.<\/p>\n

Dozens of attorneys for the plaintiffs have split the litigation into phases. A trial date for Phase 1.1 \u2014 which focuses on just one block of Montoya\u2019s Southcrest neighborhood \u2014 has been set for February. Trial dates for other phases are set for March and May.<\/p>\n

\u201cLitigation, as a rule, is dynamic, and it\u2019s stressful, and it changes, and there are all kinds of complications that creep in,\u201d Walker said. \u201cThat\u2019s just the nature of the beast. But when you look at something like this, it\u2019s magnified a thousandfold when you have so many parties involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker said that survivors could wait a long time before seeing financial relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could be at this for another two or three years, for a total of five or six years,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s probably best-case scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

City officials have been focused on cleaning the flood control channels they cleared after the January 2024 flooding, with an extra $1 million in the current budget to expand work such as vegetation management and debris removal.<\/p>\n

A statement from spokesman Ramon Galindo said the city has \u201cproactively established an El\u202fNi\u00f1o Working Group\u201d with members from multiple city departments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of San Diego is no stranger to heavy winter rains,\u201d Galindo\u2019s statement said. \u201cIt prepares continuously by maintaining and strengthening critical stormwater infrastructure all year around. With forecasts pointing to a stronger\u202fEl\u202fNi\u00f1o season this year, we are not taking any chances and are making efforts to ramp up our city\u2019s readiness to help reduce flood risks and keep neighborhoods safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But even as this winter approaches, many victims of the 2024 floods are still grappling with the past.<\/p>\n

\u2018The earth just descended upon us\u2019<\/p>\n

The St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Spring Valley is ringed by a wall. Standing about two feet tall and made of gray bricks, it\u2019s supposed to separate the property from the dirt slope behind it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Vera Skop shows where water ran down a hillside and flooded St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Spring Valley, July 28, 2026. (Zo\u00eb Meyers for inewsource)<\/p>\n

The wall was constructed as a last line of defense against any water flowing downhill from Spring Valley Academy\u2019s playing fields, following a 2018 flood<\/a> that caused extensive damage. Drains on school property were meant to funnel water through a culvert, to the street and away from San Diego\u2019s only Ukrainian Orthodox church.<\/p>\n

But in 2024, that culvert \u2014 property of San Diego County \u2014 was choked with vegetation and discarded furniture. Vera Skop, the church board secretary, had been asking the school to clean its drains for years.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 22, 2024, fast-moving stormwater failed to drain into the street properly, raced downhill and jumped the church\u2019s wall. It left 50 tons of mud on the property and soaked boxes of humanitarian donations for Ukraine. The priest and his wife clung to a fence for 45 minutes amid rushing water as they waited for their son to rescue them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe earth just descended upon us,\u201d Skop said.<\/p>\n

La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Superintendent David Feliciano declined to comment on the litigation specifically but pointed to the county-maintained culvert as a source of flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime there are heavy rains, the culvert clogs with debris from adjacent land and a river of water overflows across Rogers Road and onto properties downstream of the culvert,\u201d he said via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The county declined to comment on the litigation due to its ongoing nature.<\/p>\n

In the days following the flood, 100 volunteers \u2014 both churchgoers and neighbors \u2014 worked \u201caround the clock\u201d to clear the mud before it dried, Skop said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody brought their shovels,\u201d she said. \u201cAt that point, everybody was affected, people across the street, all of Casa de Oro, and we started digging ourselves out. Somebody else had a neighbor who had a Bobcat, so he was able to move all that dirt. It was just backbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Walker\u2019s help, Skop filed<\/a> a lawsuit on behalf of the church against the school district, county and other jurisdictions last year.<\/p>\n

Then, on New Year\u2019s Day, just a few months after the church completed its rebuilding, the property flooded<\/a> again. Water entered the sanctuary and reached the altar.<\/p>\n

Skop said she is terrified by the prospect of a super El Ni\u00f1o.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it rained one day last month, she woke up thinking, \u201cThe church. What\u2019s happening with the church?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photos of religious sites in Ukraine hang on the wall of a community room at St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Spring Valley, July 28, 2026. (Zo\u00eb Meyers for inewsource)<\/p>\n

\u2018The funding shortfall will grow\u2019<\/p>\n

The underfunding of San Diego\u2019s stormwater system has been well-documented<\/a> for years.<\/p>\n

In 2018, the city auditor found<\/a> that the department would be short $459 million over five years. In 2021, a report on stormwater funding strategies said<\/a> the city has \u201cnearly 2,000 known stormwater infrastructure failures, with 32 failures considered emergencies due to their imminent risk to life or property.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report said that emergency spending had resulted in the stormwater department putting a hold on almost 40% of its existing capital projects \u2014 from green infrastructure to flood resilience projects.<\/p>\n

A review in March by the city\u2019s independent budget analyst said that much of the funding for stormwater capital needs this budget year comes from a federal program that is \u201canticipated to be mostly exhausted\u201d in two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo revenue replacement has been identified,\u201d the budget analyst\u2019s report said. \u201cAs a result, the funding shortfall for stormwater infrastructure will grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s five-year capital infrastructure plan<\/a> notes that the stormwater department faces a funding shortfall of $55.6 million this fiscal year. That gap is expected to widen to $2 billion by 2031.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the San Diego City Council approved a $6.3 million settlement in February to 17 insurance companies seeking reimbursement for property damage claims.<\/p>\n

Montoya, the Southcrest resident, expressed frustration over that settlement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come the city\u2019s paying them, not us?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018More and possibly larger winter storms\u2019<\/p>\n

This winter weather warnings make worries about flooding particularly pressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dan Cayan, a climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said that scientists have predicted a more intense version of an El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern \u2014 which brings warmer waters and gustier winds \u2014 during late 2026 and early 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stronger the amount of heating that we observe in the tropical Pacific, the stronger the response of the atmosphere,\u201d he said. \u201cThe strength of what we\u2019re seeing right now falls into the category of pretty extreme warmth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cayan said that San Diegans could experience \u201cmore and possibly larger winter storms.\u201d He said there could be flooding in inland areas, watersheds and valleys and big waves and erosion along the coast.<\/p>\n

San Diego stormwater crews are planning to inspect and clean more than 30,000 storm drain inlets this fiscal year and \u201ccontinue enhanced cleanings\u201d in areas as needed, the city\u2019s statement said. \u201cTeams will also continue replacing deteriorated storm drain segments and complete essential preventive maintenance at all 15 stormwater pump stations to ensure they\u2019re fully operational ahead of the rainy season.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego has cleaned 100% of its drains for the past two fiscal years \u2014 but during the three years prior, that percentage was as low as 79%.<\/p>\n

\"Percent<\/p>\n

San Diego State University associate professor Hassan Davani said the city should be prioritizing longer-term infrastructure initiatives over cleaning projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is needed for San Diego to be more resilient when a massive rainfall situation comes, essentially, in plain English, would be bigger pipes and more stormwater pumps,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Davani, who works in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, added that aging stormwater infrastructure poses risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these systems were built more than 50 years ago, 75 years ago, but the life expectancy for certain materials is only 40 to 50 years,\u201d he said. \u201cSo in some areas, the existing pipes also need to be replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The outflow point for one of two storm drains for a Southcrest neighborhood which experienced severe flooding in a January 2024 rainstorm, July 28, 2026. (Zo\u00eb Meyers for inewsource)<\/p>\n

San Diego City Council member Sean Elo-Rivera said there are more sustainable, long-term alternatives than traditional stormwater pipes and rains \u2014 systems that reduce runoff using natural, porous materials. Elo-Rivera said this concept is on display near Snapdragon Stadium, where fields have replaced some asphalt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fields that you see and the vegetation that you see there are all part of a modern stormwater system,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s bringing down the temperature in the area. It\u2019s improving the air quality. It\u2019s bringing birds and other wildlife to an area that they stayed away from for a long time. And it\u2019s just a great place in the city now.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to city documents<\/a>, a $111.9 million project to create floodwalls, a new pump station and drainage system upgrades in Montoya\u2019s Southcrest neighborhood is currently in its design phase.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proposed improvements will provide a 100-year level of service,\u201d the document says.<\/p>\n

While that would be progress, city officials have repeatedly described<\/a> the 2024 flood event as a \u201c1,000-year flood,\u201d meaning that the odds of a storm of such intensity occurring in a year are 1 in 1,000.<\/p>\n

That project on Beta Street is expected to be completed in or around 2031, so it won\u2019t offer any protection this winter.<\/p>\n

Late last month, the floor of the St. Mary Protectress sanctuary in Spring Valley was still bare cement. The church has had to tear out its carpet twice in recent years now, but that remains a cheaper option than tiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been tough,\u201d Skop said. \u201cIt\u2019s been exhausting. We have people that said, \u2018You need to move.\u2019 But, you know, this is San Diego. We can\u2019t afford a million dollars someplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montoya has already added porous gravel and a stormwater pump to his property to guard against future disasters. He is concerned about the coming winter and the channel behind his house, where vegetation and trash are visible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t finished cleaning it,\u201d he said. \u201cIn their eyes, \u2018It\u2019s good enough for you guys.\u2019 It\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Greg Montoya shows how water has flooded from the Chollas Creek channel into San Diego\u2019s Southcrest neighborhood, July 28, 2026. (Zo\u00eb Meyers for inewsource)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why this matters The city of San Diego is facing forecasts of record-breaking rains this winter, increasing anxiety…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[8076,13,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-427698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-infrastructure","tag-politics","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}