City of San Diego maintenance crews worked, Saturday, to clear clogged stormwater channels in neighborhoods that flood often, including Sorrento Valley. Workers have been removing tree branches, heavy brush, and other debris from the drainage system along Sorrento Valley Road and Roselle Street. There has been significant flooding in the past of businesses and cars in the industrial hub. Sorrento Valley was among the communities hit hard by the historic January 2024 floods. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria acknowledged that the city’s aging infrastructure faced increasing challenges from extreme weather. “The fact of the matter is our storm channel system was built for a bygone era. Climate change is real, ” the mayor told NBC 7, Saturday, as he visited some of the preparation projects. “The magnitude of extreme weather events challenge our existing system because it’s undersized for what we’ve got,” he said. Clean up of the water ways has been going on for several weeks. Front loaders were used, Saturday, to collect debris clogging the Roselle channel. The city project has been underway for several weeks, October 10, 2026. The work includes using front loaders and excavators to remove obstructions that could prevent water from flowing freely as it rises during heavy rainfall. Although San Diego faces a significant budget deficit, funding for stormwater maintenance was not reduced this year, allowing the essential work to be done. Sorrento Valley businesses prepare for possible flooding For business owners in Sorrento Valley, the approaching storm brings back memories of previous flooding. Ali Namvar, owner of Green Rabbit landscaping, recorded cellphone video last year showing floodwaters rushing down Roselle Street. “All my service trucks were literally floating down the street like a river,” said Namvar. Ahead of the latest storm, his employees were racing to deliver nearly 3,000 pounds of fertilizer to dozens of customers before the heaviest rain arrived. “We want to fertilize all of our plants, all of our lawns. So, next week we’ll have beautiful green grass on all of our projects.” Across the street, construction crews faced a different challenge. Workers have been renovating a building that will become the new headquarters of JB Pacific, a commercial construction company. But with sections of the roof removed, the approaching storm created an urgent need to protect the structure. Walker Bond, the renovations superintendent, said the timing caught his crew off guard. “I knew we were going to get some storms, but I thought we had a little bit more time. So, we ripped up the roof, and it’s got a whole bunch of holes in it now,” said Bond. “It’s a scramble to put everything back together.” Flood prevention work extends to Southcrest Sorrento Valley is not the only neighborhood receiving attention. In Southcrest, another community devastated by the January 2024 floods, crews have been working near the neighborhood’s park, where a drainage channel became blocked with trash and debris during the historic flooding. The work is part of a project that began earlier this year. Crews are excavating soil and reinforcing portions of the area while the city investigates longer-term ways to prevent another mass flooding disaster. The improvements are not a permanent solution. National Weather Service monitors Tropical Storm Rachel While maintenance crews prepare on the ground, meteorologists with the National Weather Service are closely tracking Tropical Storm Rachel’s path, wind speeds and potential rainfall. Adam Roser is one of about a dozen meteorologists monitoring the storm and sharing updated forecasts with city and county leaders. The information helps local officials make decisions about emergency preparations, road closures and other measures intended to protect people and their homes. “A tropical storm watch isn’t something we see very often,” Roser said. “It’s been a great learning opportunity to make those relationships with those city officials to continue to keep the community safe.” Adam Roser was one of the meteorologists with the National Weather Service monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Rachel, Friday afternoon, October 9, 2026. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. Update: As of 9:25 p.m. Saturday night, Tropical Storm Rachel became Post-Tropical Storm Rachel per our NBC 7 meteorologists. ...read more read less