Homes throughout San Diego County took a beating Monday from the flash floods created by the downpour that surprised many families, some more than others.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more harrowing experience than what Jenna and Micael Ortiz went through.
“I just kept praying, just praying they’re OK,” Jenna said, remembering how her daughters and her mom were trapped by four feet of floodwater that coursed through their Lemon Grove home.
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Jenna and Micael, who were out on the street, were unable to rescue them because of how fast the water was running.
“I never prepped them for a flood," Jenna said. "I’ve prepped them for people coming in, or other dangers, but San Diego never floods like this, never rains like this."
NBC 7 Responds
Jenna's husband, Micael, eventually couldn’t bear it anymore and found a way to get to their children who were pinned in the backyard.
“I jumped two fences, and then I came in through the house, and I saw my daughters, and they were crying, they were all wet, so I came in and I checked on them, they were good," Micael said. "I tried to come in the house but the water was so high up that I couldn’t open the door.
Micael also recalled how tight he held his daughters as they worked their way to safety.
Fortunately, nobody was injured, although there were a few close calls, including a shed that came close to toppling into the neighbor’s yard. Now the question Jenna, Micael and other homeowners are asking is: “What now?”
“When I got here, everything was destroyed, everything,” said Jenna as she wiped the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks.
Yaron Lief, owner of Orange Restoration, told NBC 7 that families should move quickly when their homes take extensive water damage.
“Salvage whatever they can and expose the walls — it’s so important,” Lief said, pointing to exposed walls around him.
Lief explained that walls should be exposed, stripped to the beams at least four feet from the ground. A remediation company is designed to help with this process.
“Don’t try to dry everything out, it just won’t work,” Lief explained in more detail, “A closed wall is like a wall cavity, a sealed cavity. Te moisture in it cannot dry through the wall, and the mold will grow, causing secondary damage.”
Lief added that mold grows as quickly as 72 hours after water damage occurs.
Lief warned to take extra care when looking for a company to start repairing the damage caused by the storm. The company should be licensed with the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). He also advised staying in constant contact with your flood insurance company throughout the process. And keep in mind, flood insurance is not the same as your homeowner’s insurance.
Micael and Jenna just learned this the hard way.
“I don’t have flash flood insurance. If a pipe broke, if a water pipe broke in my house and flooded it, they would cover it, it’s an additional thing and nobody has that (flood insurance) here,” she said.
She’s not entirely wrong. FEMA told NBC 7 Responds that in the City of San Diego, less than 3,000 homes have flood insurance, and about 1,200 policies exist in unincorporated portions of the county.
Jenna and Micael say that as tough as it will be to rebuild, they’re grateful to be able to do it together.
“That’s replaceable stuff, my most-priced possessions, they’re fine,” she said thinking about her daughters.
