Updated October 11, 2026. Rain totals below are from the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Sunday afternoon report, not from a TGI gauge.
What the storm did
Remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel were heavier than the forecast. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported these totals by early Sunday afternoon. Dry hills and valley lots shed that water fast, which is why culverts, leach fields, and dirt driveways fail on the first real storm of the year.
| Place | Rain reported |
|---|---|
| Palomar Mountain | 5.16 in |
| Julian | 3.04 in |
| Otay Mountain | 2.99 in |
| Poway | 2.69 in |
| Ramona | 2.52 in |
| Alpine | 2.30 in |
| Fallbrook | 2.22 in |
| Valley Center | 2.10 in |
| Rancho Bernardo / San Diego Country Estates | 2.06 in |
| Escondido and Campo | 1.81 in |
| Santee | 1.56 in |
| Borrego Springs | 1.14 in |
The same system flooded parts of Highway 101 near Carlsbad, pushed surf into Oceanside, flooded a street off the Tijuana River estuary in Imperial Beach, and cut into the berm at the Del Mar lifeguard headquarters. Inland, the damage that needs a crew is usually quieter: a buried driveway pipe, a slope that rilled, or a septic field that quit taking water.
What to check before you call
Walk the lot in daylight. Stay off saturated slopes and out of moving water in a culvert or dip.
- Culvert and driveway pipe. A pipe full of silt, rock, or brush will send the next burst over the road instead of through it.
- Water against the house. Ponding at the garage, pad, or stem wall means the grade or the yard drain failed.
- Catch basins and French drains. If the grate is buried or the outlet is still full hours later, the line is blocked or undersized for this storm.
- Washouts. Look for a missing shoulder, an undermined driveway edge, or a rill that reaches the pad.
- Septic. Gurgling drains, sewage odor, or spongy ground over the leach field means the field is saturated. Keep cars and livestock off it. Pumping the tank does not repair a drowned field.
- Exposed pipe. A water lateral or sewer cleanout uncovered by runoff needs a look before it breaks.
Work TGI is booking
TGI General Engineering handles the wet side of the lot: storm-drain and culvert repair, catch basins, French drains and yard drainage, washout excavation and regrading, erosion on driveways and slopes, and septic repair after a flooded field. Wet-utility breaks are in the same call.
East County is home ground. Site looks are open across San Diego County, including the towns that took the heaviest rain.
Send the address, what failed, and a photo. Say whether water is still moving. That is enough to tell a culvert cleanout from a leach-field repair.
Call 619-928-3445 or email tayler@tgige.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The emergency line is answered 24/7. California CSLB #1162722, Class A. SDVOSB is in process.
Questions after the storm
Who repairs storm drains and culverts in San Diego County after a storm?
Call TGI at 619-928-3445 for plugged culverts, storm-drain lines, catch basins, and driveway pipes. Email tayler@tgige.com with the town and a photo if you have one.
What should I check if the yard is still flooded?
Water against the house, a driveway pipe packed with debris, mud on the pad, rills on the slope, and a drain that never emptied. Do not drive through a flooded dip.
The septic backed up after the rain. What does that mean?
Slow drains, odor, or wet ground over the leach field usually mean the field is saturated. Stop extra water use and keep vehicles off the field. Pumping the tank does not fix a drowned field.
Do you cover Alpine, Lakeside, Ramona, and Jamul?
Yes. Those towns, plus El Cajon, Santee, Harbison Canyon, Crest, Poway, and the rest of the county list above, are where these calls are coming from.
How fast can someone look at the property?
Call or email with the address and whether water is still moving. Active washouts and sewage at the surface go to the front of the list.