With Tropical Storm Hilary now behind us, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our City crews for their tireless work and commitment to ensuring San Diegans’ safety. 

Whether it was coordinating emergency services, closing roads, clearing and monitoring storm drains or disseminating crucial information, the work of our Office of Emergency Services, Fire-Rescue Department, Police Department and countless other City staffers has been truly commendable.  

A special shoutout to our homeless outreach teams and service providers, who worked overtime over the weekend to warn people experiencing homelessness to clear riverbeds and accept shelter. Unfortunately, some refused to leave and our swift water rescue teams ended up rescuing 13 people from the river. We also opened several inclement weather shelters where 119 unsheltered San Diegans and 11 local families spent the night, plus we had an additional site ready to go if needed at the Balboa Park Activity Center, which had an additional 366 beds. 

Just as helpful to our efforts were the vast majority of San Diegans who heeded our calls to follow safety protocols, secure your properties, stay off the roads and otherwise help prevent unnecessary accidents or deaths. Your proactive efforts and willingness to work together have played a huge role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our beloved city. 

It is in times like these that the stellar character of our community shines through.  

As we conduct the cleanup and repairs after the storm, the local state of emergency I proclaimed for the City of San Diego will enable us to seek state and federal disaster-assistance resources to support this work.  

Once again, thank you to City workers and every San Diegan who helped us weather this storm safely together. Things could’ve been much worse for San Diego, but through incredible efforts and cooperation, we were ready. 

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