The second of two Christmas week storms to hit San Diego was expected to bring more rain Friday afternoon into Saturday morning.
This second storm was not expected to be as intense as the one on Christmas Eve that caused dozens of crashes on the freeways and strong winds that led to at least 14,000 customers to lose power and led to one death.
A 64-year-od man was killed by a falling tree branch during strong winds in City Heights on Christmas Eve, leaving his family devastated during what should have been a time of celebration.
Zenaida Rodriguez, the victim's daughter-in-law, told reporting partner 10 News that the man who lost his life on Wednesday was Roberto Ruiz.
Rodriguez described Ruiz as a loving man and a hardworking welder who served the community for more than 20 years. "How do you go home on Christmas Eve and tell your kids that their grandpa's dead? I still can't find the words," Rodriguez said.
The San Diego Fire Department said they received the call just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, of a man trapped under a tree branch that fell near Marlborough and Wightman streets. The department said Ruiz was still alive when crews arrived, but went into cardiac arrest. Firefighters tried to save his life, but the tree was too heavy.
Governor Newsom on Wednesday proclaimed a state of emergency in multiple counties in response to a series of powerful storms hitting California, including San Diego along with Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Shasta counties.
(Photo reporting partner ABC 10News)