By John Carroll / ABC 10News / March 3, 2013
Point Loma residents made homeless two weeks ago by floodwater from a broken water main are now being housed at an extended stay hotel. But they told 10News that the city has dropped the ball when it comes to answering questions about their future.
The Feb. 17 water main break on Nimitz Boulevard sent water rushing into Kimberly Callahan’s apartment, soaking her belongings. Weeks later, those items are still in her home — some in plastic bags, some where they should not be.
“Things that were dry got put into things that were wet. Things got destroyed that shouldn’t have been destroyed,” Callahan said.
Like other residents at this apartment complex on Scott Street, Callahan gives credit to the city for putting her up in a nice hotel. But like her neighbors, she said no one seems to be able to tell her where some of her belongings are.
“I’m missing a pearl necklace, some diamond earrings and this all took place in that area where they were locking me out of my bedroom and telling me, ‘We’re professionals. Get out of here. Leave us alone,'” she said.
Callahan said she’s not necessarily accusing anyone of stealing anything. It’s just the fact that she’s having trouble getting any answers. Answers to questions like whether she’ll be adequately compensated for what she has lost.
“They don’t want to replace my brand new $1,200 mattress. They want to send it out to get cleaned. Absolutely not,” she said.
Callahan’s neighbor, Jim Williams, said his questions about compensation for what he lost have gone largely unanswered.
“I would like some kind of good faith answer to give us some idea of what we can expect personally,” Williams said.
Resident Mavis Herrera said she wants to know what happened to some of her belongings.
“I don’t even know what they took. They said they were going to do an inventory with us. I was here. They were doing it on their own,” she said.
10News contacted the city for a response. But since it was the weekend, they were not able to provide anyone to speak with us.
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San Diego is a joke. Some parts of city infrastructure are in dire need. We should all get used to it. Public services are being scaled back while the politicians look for more revenue.
One thing they could do is better manage street projects. I watched crews stand around for weeks. I’ve had pipes laying on my curb on Ebers St. for over two years. The exposed bolts ripped through my tire and caused a flat, requiring a new tire because it couldn’t be patched. I wrote a letter to the claims division, and I was denied without any reason.