ENCINITAS, Calif. — More rain fell in Leucadia Friday as people are still recovering from last Monday’s historic storm in San Diego County. The barrage of rain over the past two weeks has taken a toll on homes and businesses in Leucadia, especially those situated in low-lying areas.
“We had a lot of torrential, what I would describe as torrential downpours, so a lot of water coming down in a very short time span,” said Leucadia resident Adrian Ionescu.
On January 22, flood waters rushed through the parking lot into The Mudd House, a ceramic arts studio off North Coast Highway 101.
“It was incredibly upsetting, it was incredibly frustrating because it did kind of catch us by surprise,” said Emma Storm Sabo, owner of The Mudd House. “We had a class in session and we had to evacuate our people who were here. We ended up having to climb out the window.”
The alleyway behind her business was completely flooded.
“Within 30 minutes, the alley was underwater,” said Thaddeus Gardner, whose home backs up to the alley. He showed CBS 8 where the water came into his home.
“This last Monday, it was a foot up over this step, it was a foot,” said Gardner while pointing at his staircase.
The City of Encinitas placed pumps in flood-prone areas, but Gardner has been taking matters into his own hands by constructing a flood barrier.
“Here is wood, plastic, and sandbags to keep it from going into the house,” said Gardner, describing the barrier laid out in front of his garage. “It’s 16 inches high because high water was 14 inches.”
CBS 8 saw people making use of the sandbag filling station at Leucadia Roadside Park Friday as they prepared for more rain.
“What are you out here doing?” asked CBS 8’s Brian White.
“Filling sandbags that will hopefully save my house,” said Lee Auerbach, who lives on Vulcan Avenue.
He hopes the sandbags will help protect his home from flooding that accumulates in the road.
“The water became a river down the road which diverted into my neighbor’s driveway, which came right into my driveway,” said Auerbach. “It filled up into a giant lake and almost came in my front door.”
Meanwhile, Sabo and her team at the Mudd House have fortified their building with sandbags. They only hope it’s enough to keep out any flooding next week.
“I’m a little nervous and anxious, super anxious, but we did what we could to protect our space and now we wait and just hope for the best,” said Storm, who has set up a GoFundMe for anyone who wants to support her business’s recovery and repairs.
For more information on storm preparedness, visit this website for the City of Encinitas.
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