Prepped to Pump

In the cul-de-sac where Mission Boulevard meets Pacific Beach Drive, at about 4:30 p.m. on February 9, a City of San Diego Street Division truck blocked cars from entering the parking lot between the Best Western Sea Lodge and the World Famous Restaurant. Some drivers, displeased with the barricade, drove their vehicles over the orange cones as if they weren't there.

The city worker inside the truck said that he was awaiting the storm and that additional pumps had been stationed on Pacific Beach Drive to minimize the potential for flooding.

Kimberly Black, working at the front-desk of the nearby Surfer Beach Hotel, stated that this was the third time extra pumps had been placed in front of the hotel during this rainy season. In her four and a half years of employment at the hotel, this was the first year the City had taken these preventative measures.

Black’s eyes widened as she told a story about having seen some individuals kayaking during the previous storm. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen anything like it — someone was actually kayaking down Mission Boulevard.”

Two heavy-duty hoses spanned the length of Pacific Beach Drive — from the public restroom in front of the Best Western, westward toward the ocean, draped over the seawall and onto the sand, where they extended 20 feet.