On Sunday August 8th, 2023, San Diego and the Southern California area began seeing rain and strong winds as Hurricane Hilary made an unexpected turn in its path and headed North towards California from Mexico. Although the safety warning for the hurricane has been lowered to a tropical storm warning, the San Diego area is still wary of flash floods and strong winds that could take out power lines and make travel dangerous for residents.
Tropical Storm Warning
At 8:30pm on Saturday, August 19th, 2023, residents across San Diego county received and have been under a Public Safety Alert, encouraging people to stay inside and not travel unless absolutely necessary, as a Tropical Storm Warning has been declared over Southern California in light of Hurricane Hilary changing course towards California. With this warning, residents have begun preparing for when Hurricane Hilary reaches San Diego as rain has started hitting the San Diego area, along with some wind gusts. Additionally, many schools in districts such as San Diego United have canceled school for this Monday, August 21st, as precaution for the possible damages and dangers the hurricane brings.
@https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/guides/story/2023-08-18/hilary-closed-canceled-san-diego-county
Preparing for the Storm and Staying Safe
In order to prepare for the storm if you haven’t already, make sure you have plenty of food and water at home, extra ice for your freezer and fridge in case you lose power in your home, flashlight and extra batteries, as well as any accommodations needed for your pets. Surprisingly, not many San Diego and Southern California residents have prepared for a possible power outage or other issues that could occur because of the hurricane. Despite the Tropical Storm and Public Safety Warning, people have had little to no response to the warning of the hurricane. Luckily, the residents here near ORHS have seen minimal damages and only rain with wind gusts as the hurricane passes through California.
Updates: Monday
Despite the hurricane and tropical storm warning for San Diego, school for ORHS Mustangs will continue on Monday, August 21st and there luckily has not been much more than some rain and wind hitting the area so far. Additionally, the previously Category 4 Hurricane Hilary has now been reduced to a Tropical Storm as it heads for California, so there is most likely going to be less panic and damage than previously anticipated. Some areas have already experienced some flash flooding such as Palm Springs, and efforts to reduce damages have begun as Southern California prepares for when the hurricane hits.
Conclusion
Overall, the Chula Vista and Otay Ranch area have luckily seen little damages and flooding from the hurricane, but it is still advised to be careful and avoid travel unless necessary. Make sure to be prepared for any possible power outages, flash flooding, strong winds, and more as the hurricane passes through Southern California. Stay safe, Mustangs!
Sources:
2: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/guides/story/2023-08-18/hilary-closed-canceled-san-diego-county
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