SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new Survey USA poll indicates San Diegans are blaming the city and infrastructure after historic rains caused flooding in late January.
To conduct this poll, 500 adults from San Diego were interviewed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.
When those polled were asked how they would rate the city’s preparation for the flooding that hit San Diego on Jan. 22, 51% said it was poor, while 28% responded fair. Only 4% said excellent.
When asked who or what is most to blame for the lack of preparation, 36% of those polled said infrastructure, while 33% blamed the city.
Meanwhile, 38% of those asked rated the city’s response to the flooding as fair, while 25% rated the response as good and 21% said they’d rate the response as poor.
Thirty-five percent of those asked said they’d rate Mayor Todd Gloria’s response following the flooding as fair, while 23% said they’d rate his response as poor.
Forty-four percent of those asked said they are aware of the resources available to those impacted by the storm, while 42% said they are not.
A total of 40% of respondents said they were somewhat confident those impacted will have their needs met.
As the storm was impacting the area on Jan. 22, Gloria declared a state of emergency to mobilize the city's emergency response more rapidly. Over the last 11 days, city cleanup crews were deployed to the most impacted neighborhoods to clear out storm drains before more rain fell on Feb. 1.
Additionally, Gloria issued a voluntary flood evacuation warning for residents who felt the brunt of the flooding in late January. A shelter was opened at Balboa Park's Municipal Gym as well, and the city provided free transportation for those who needed it.
Looking forward, 38% of those polled said they are not very confident that the city will be able to respond to a similar event in the future, while 32% responded they are somewhat confident.
When asked about climate change's role, 42% of the people taking the survey reported they are very concerned climate change could increase the intensity of rainstorms.
Fourty-two of those asked said they are very confident climate change could increase the intensity of rainstorms.
