For Brianda Ramos and her siblings, it sounded like their apartment had suddenly landed in the middle of the ocean.
“It was like the Titanic with water coming from the outside over here and from this door,” Ramos said.
They had seconds to find a way out of their Southcrest apartment on Monday when neighborhoods across San Diego flooded as a result of the heavy rainfall.
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“It was difficult to believe but I knew we had to get out or we were going to drown or something,” Ramos said.
With the help of some neighbors, Ramos, her brother and his 2-year-old daughter managed to open their front door. They then found themselves wading through filthy, waist-deep water.
Surveillance video shows Ramos’ brother almost lose his little girl to the water’s intensity.
Ramos' older brother, who was in the apartment’s upper level at the time, had no choice but to jump down from a window.
“He couldn't open the door. It was too hard for him to open the door,” Ramos said.
The siblings all made it out safely, but their apartment — the only place they’ve ever known as home — suffered severe damage.
“This is where my mom was,” Ramos said. “My mom was here, and all her memories are here.”
Ramos’ mother was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2019. She was loved in the community and known by many as the “Tamale Lady of Barrio Logan" for the food she would sell.
The children had held on to their mother’s pots, storing them in their backyard. Now, they sit somewhere under all the debris left behind by the floods.
“I can’t even go outside. It's hard to go outside,” Ramos said.
Photos of their mother were also lost as the rushing water wiped through their entire first floor.
“It's hard because we have to start all over from zero because we have nothing here at the bottom,” Ramos said.
Still, they refuse to give up this place. While many physical memories were lost, they say the biggest one left behind by their mother still stands: a loving home worth working to rebuild.
“That’s what keeps me here because of all her memories. We all grew up here. That's why I don't want to leave here,” Ramos said.
The Ramos siblings are renting the apartment. They don’t have any renters insurance. They say almost no one in their complex does.
NBC 7 spoke with the owner who said he is working to get units repaired as soon as possible.
