SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A newly opened gym is cleaning up from flooding for the second time in less than two months.
The area near The Hangar Gym on Bandini Street in the Midway District was inundated with water Monday afternoon, just weeks after city crews were seen working on nearby storm drains for two weeks, following a New Year's Day flood that delayed the gym's grand opening.
"The rain started picking up. 5 to 10 minutes later, water started seeping in," said Dave Stronach, the gym owner. "Within about 30 minutes, it was full lake on Bandini Street in front of our entrance."
Monday's flooding actually led to higher water levels than the January 1st incident, despite being triggered by less intense rainfall, Stronach said. The earlier flood had covered the entire 4,500-square-foot facility with ankle-deep water and higher, damaging the brand-new weight room and basketball court. Some of the concrete underneath the court cracked from the water damage.
This time, Stronach's three-sandbag-high protective wall limited the flooding to about 20 feet of the court, but the reduced rainfall intensity that still caused flooding has increased his anxiety about future storms.
"Before it was heavy rain and now it's moderate rain, so now it's much more anxiety," Stronach said. "Not getting a lot of sleep. Definitely taking a toll."
A city spokesperson said Monday's flooding occurred when a pump station in the area stalled due to overload. City crews are troubleshooting the equipment failure and have plans to make repairs.
"Kurtz Street in the Midway corridor is in a low-lying area that is at higher risk of flooding during rain events," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The city said crews will continue monitoring the area during expected rains for the rest of the week and are prepared to notify the community of potential hazards. Officials said the heaviest rains have passed and no additional flooding is expected, noting the system kept up during Tuesday night's rainfall.
Stronach said he cannot purchase flood insurance because the area is deemed flood-prone, adding financial stress to the repeated water damage. Despite the challenges, he remains determined to keep the business operating.
"We are resilient, but it will be an upward climb," Stronach said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help the gym cover recovery expenses from the repeated flooding incidents.
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