PACIFIC BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — Hours away from the arrival of the heavy downpour in San Diego, the crew at Baja Beach Café in Pacific Beach was already digging out the sand as they prepare for days of rain ahead.
General Manager Justin McIntyre is hoping this storm doesn’t bring back the water surging through their property, flooding their outdoor patio.
"We’re battening down the hatchers—we’re right on the ocean. We see it front and center. We’re trying to dig out as much sand so we don’t end up with four inches instead of two inches,” he says.
And it was a similar case for Hamel’s Surf Shop in Mission Beach. Same situation: oceanfront property. During the last storm, they had about an inch of water flowing into their store. That’s why they already have sandbags out, ready if they’re needed.
Manager Skyler McManus says they’ll also likely close a few doors to stay warm.
“It's like a wind tunnel in here... Like it gets really cold. You have doors open to the ocean, and it flows to the back of the store. It can be colder inside than outside,” McManus says.
Even though there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to prepare, McIntyre says he owes it to the customers who want to get away from the rain.
“We've got good people staying in hotels... paying good money to stay on a holiday," he says. And here they are—they've got nowhere to go. The beach is out of bounds, so they end up inside of the restaurants and bars.”
