SAN DIEGO - Nearly a dozen people were pulled from rushing waters in San Diego County on Monday.
Swift water rescues are dangerous for first responders and victims, because anything can happen at any moment. One of those rescues yesterday was in the Otay River near Jamul where two Mexican nationals found themselves up a tree as the river level rose. After about 20 minutes the two men were saved from the river and taken to the hospital and are now in Border Patrol custody.
Trees along with other vegetation and debris create what Cal Fire Captain Dan Twohy calls "the strainer."
"Strainers are killers," Capt. Twohy told NBC 7. "They stop the flow of people moving down the waterway but not the water. That causes drownings very, very quickly.”
Chula Vista Fire assisted also responded to the Otay River, after responding to another rescue nearby.
"It can really put us in harm’s way going to get them," said Chula Vista Fire Battalion Chief Tim Mehrer.
In all there were 11 people rescued from rushing waters on Monday, the majority of whom were from the San Diego River near Mission Valley, as the river flooded its banks for the first time since 2020. But the water levels we saw on Monday haven't been seen since at least 2017.
That water level is receding Tuesday but there will still be some road closures as crews asses damages. Drivers are advised to obey all road closure signs and not drive on flooded roadways.