A looming Christmas Eve storm has ranchers and residents of San Diego’s Tijuana River Valley scrambling to prepare for potential flooding, recalling a severe January flood that forced the evacuation of hundreds of animals.
Storm Preparation in Tijuana River Valley
Businesses such as the Southwest Feed Store are busy with storm preps. Ian Tinney, one of the employees, was seen helping customers with hay and feed orders while covering inventory to keep it dry. ‘We’re covering the stuff so it doesn’t get wet or stale, moving stuff to the back, getting everything out away from the front so it doesn’t get wet,’ said Tinney.
Tinney and others in the area know full well what can happen when big rain events dump several inches of rain, something that is predicted with a pending Christmas Eve storm. ‘A lot of people are just preparing their horses and there’s a possibility it may flood, so definitely the horse owners are kind of on edge preparing their animals, preparing stalls in case they have to leave somewhere.’
Ian Tinney works in the Tijuana River Valley at Southwest Feed. (Chris Hansen/KSWB)
Lessons from January Storm
During a storm in January 2024, hundreds of horses and other animals had to be moved to higher ground, Tinney remembers that day well. ‘I wasn’t working that day, but I was down here that day, one of the levees over here broke, and where we’re standing was under several feet of water, it was like a river rushing all the way down the road, people were getting their horses, donkeys, chickens out, it was pretty bad to say the least,’ he said. ‘When the gulch broke and the road flooded Border Patrol actually came and said you guys really need to leave now or you’re not going to be able to get out.’
Community Response and Warnings
As the wind picked up and sprinkles started coming down, Tinney told Border Report he was optimistic in spite of the weather forecasts calling for heavy rain Wednesday night and into Christmas day. ‘I don’t do the weather, but I think we’re going to be okay, that’s just my opinion.’
South of the border in Tijuana, civil protection officials issued a heavy storm warning asking residents to remain indoors as much as possible. They were calling for heavy flooding and wind damage in many areas of the city as well as landslides and sinkholes.
Trash Concerns
Oscar Romo with Alter Terra, the organization in charge of a 1,200-foot-long trash boom strung across the Tijuana River channel, says they are expecting anywhere from 200 to 400 tons of trash to flow in from south of the border over the next few days.
Key Takeaways
- Ranchers and residents are preparing for potential flooding from the Christmas Eve storm.
- A January 2024 storm forced the evacuation of hundreds of animals due to levee failure and flooding.
- Tijuana civil protection warned of heavy flooding, wind damage, landslides, and sinkholes.
The region’s residents, businesses, and authorities are on high alert as the storm approaches, hoping the preparations will keep people and animals safe while dealing with the threat of significant water and trash flow.
