SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – There is a symphony of sounds with trimming, unwrapping flowers and packing gifts inside a warehouse in Mission Valley.
Native Poppy, a flower company, is preparing for Valentine's Day.
"I think last year if you asked me, 'Do you think you're going to keep going,' I was probably so depressed and so tired... I was like 'I don't know,” Natalie Gil, co-owner and co-founder of Native Poppy, said.
Yet, Gil is still at it.
That fatigue she mentioned wasn't just from last year’s Valentine's Day orders. A year ago, her life and business were nearly washed away.
On Jan. 22, 2024, Native Poppy was flooded out by the massive storm that hit San Diego.
"Our warehouse flooded. And, it flooded not a little bit; a lot. Like three and a half feet of water,” Gil said. "We lost all of our inventory that was like saved for Valentine’s Day."
ABC 10News spoke to Gil four days after the flood waters subsided.
"We had two delivery vans parked in here and they were both totaled. They got completely flooded with water," Gil told us in Jan. 2024. "This was nine days before our Valentine's Day production starts."
With rain expected to blanket San Diego County for the next few days and a flood watch in effect Thursday morning into early Friday, there is some worry.
"Like last year, at least it was before Valentine's Day. This year, it would happen on Valentine's Day and - you can see behind me - how many flowers we have and how many orders are made and waiting in our cooler to go out. If we did flood, I don't even know. It would be so, so, so bad,” Gil said.
So, they're working to get ahead of the rain with floodboards and sandbags to hold back any possible flooding.
Another year brings another storm and another Valentine’s Day rush.
"We were scared that last year might've been a fluke, that people were just hearing about our flood and wanting to order,” Gil said. “But the fact that a lot of those people have come back to order from us again this year is amazing."
Gil also told ABC 10News they've talked about moving their delivery vans to higher ground Wednesday night to keep them away from any possible flooding.
