A chronic flooding problem at Mission Beach left at least one underground garage submerged after king tides overtopped walkways and city storm drains had to be shut off.
MISSION BEACH — Video taken by the owner of the Mission Beach Instagram account shows water rushing through the area during a recent king tide event.
On Wednesday, feet of water remained standing in at least one underground garage on the block. Sandbags did not hold back the water for the affected complex. Pierre Klee, of Klee Construction, said the flooding is a chronic problem tied to king tides.
"Every year on king tides if they exceed 7.2 tide .. it comes over both walkways here on both sides," Klee said. Klee said the damage extends beyond the water itself. The flooding also carries debris down the walkway and causes long-term structural damage to the building. The situation is made worse by electrical hazards.
"Unfortunately, I've been here... all the people here .. their lockers have been destroyed," Klee said. "There was a Tesla charger in there that shorted out and took electricity from the whole building. " Part of the problem is structural. City crews must shut off storm drains before high tide because the drains empty into the ocean — and the tide is powerful enough to push water back up through the grates.
Klee said that the city had opened back up the drains in the morning to assist with cleanup. The city warned residents on its Instagram account that this could happen. I asked the city what Stormwater crews did to prepare storm drains for the high tide and whether they have any solutions to the chronic flooding problem. The city had not responded as of publication.
Klee said the city's pumps are not powerful enough to handle the volume of water. He also said the city does not install sand berms during the summer months — barriers that help contain tides. If you have experienced flooding in Mission Beach or Pacific Beach, I want to hear from you. This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI.
Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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