SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Tuesday's storm brought substantial rain across San Diego County, prompting city crews to focus on cleanup while also keeping the region's unhoused population safe from dangerous conditions.
The San Diego River Park Foundation was out warning people living along the San Diego Riverbed to move to higher ground before Tuesday's rain hit. The area off Mission Center Road is a hot spot for hundreds of people living along the riverbed.
"Our teams go out twice a week every week to do surveys of the river, and then we do cleanups of the river," said Sarah Hutmacher, COO of the San Diego River Park Foundation.
Hutmacher and her team spent the day after the storm cleaning trash from the San Diego River that was brought in by Tuesday's rain. They removed about 2,200 pounds of trash.
Hutmacher said the rain introduces new trash into the river, along with chemicals and pollutants that could pose a risk of exposure to folks living in the riverbed. But fast-moving water presented the bigger risk.
"The river rises really fast. Yesterday it didn't rise much, but it rose incredibly quickly —1.5 to 2 feet. And when we have big storms this winter, sometimes that can be 7 to 8 feet," Hutmacher said. "We most recently counted 323 people who are living in the San Diego River."
That's why Hutmacher and her team were looking out for people who call the riverbed home, even passing out care kits.
"These things just help to let people know that we care, to help give them a few items that they need to survive out here,and hopefully build that pathway that lets people find an option to live someplace safer," Hutmacher said.
The danger became reality in El Cajon, at the Forester Creek culvert beneath the Gillespie Metro stop, next to the airfield.
Battalion Chief Chris Wilson with Heartland Fire & Rescue said crews responded to a report of a trapped person and his dog inside a culvert with swift water involved.
"With winter coming up, this is a great reminder of how dangerous and deceiving water can be. It can quickly knock you off your feet and sweep you down these dangerous storm drains," Wilson said.
The risks extend beyond culverts to roadways as well.
"That is another element of this season, when the traffic collisions occur. This is a great reminder of how slick the roads can be," Wilson said. "We prepare by adding our swift water rescue gear to our engines that are on for this entire season, as well as rescue gear for traffic collisions."
