SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (KGTV) — Nearly three weeks after the January 22nd flooding, people are still cleaning up the mess left behind.
In Spring Valley, hundreds of storage units with personal belongings and keepsakes were damaged.
"Pretty much we had a lot of memories... my daughter's crib, equipment for my t-shirt business," Vicente Corona said.
Corona has had a storage unit on Quarry Road for three years. He said he came to check on his unit two days after the storm.
"Everything was a mess. There was mold, leaves, mud all over the place," Corona said.
His daughter's crib, a futon bed, and VHS tapes from his childhood were damaged beyond repair.
"My heart dropped. I saw everything that we saved up just go to waste," he said.
Corona's unit was one of around 300 impacted by the storm.
Kristine Alessio with Quarry Self Storage said many tenants stored products they sold at the nearby swap meet. She said they're offering up to $100 off tenants' rent for the next month.
"That's how they make their living, and so it's really been a terrible thing," Alessio said.
While the amount of flooding on January 22nd was rare, every time there's heavy rain, Quarry Road becomes impassable.
The county plans to build an elevated bridge that it says will help solve the issue.
"Another thing is the roadway is going to be straightened out. It will be a much safer roadway. There's going to be sidewalks," Jim Custeau said.
Custeau is a member of the Spring Valley Community Planning Group.
But not everyone is for the plan.
"It's kind of like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound. It does nothing to alleviate the flooding," Alessio said.
Custeau disagrees.
"I feel that it's quite the opposite. Once the bridge is built, the water will be able to flow more freely," he said.
Instead, Alessio believes part of the problem is the creek being littered with debris.
"Raise the road a little bit. Put some culverts in and maintain the creek," she said.
The county said construction of the bridge is expected to begin in 2026.
