Rain

I came to San Diego county in part because of the beautiful weather here. It is rarely below 40 degrees Fahrenheit at night or above 80 degrees during the day and it only rains about 10 inches/year. However, we have had some fairly serious rain the past few days and it isn't yet over.

Rain can be a real problem when you are on the street. Once you get wet, it is much harder to stay warm.With little or no shelter, once you get wet, you tend to stay wet. Even if you are in a tent, if it rains hard enough to cause running water to flow under the tent, that can really suck the warmth out of you. Prior to being homeless, I had never been camping. So the first time I experienced that, it was quite a shock to realize that even if I didn't get wet, the running water was a potential serious threat to my welfare.

Yesterday, I got caught in a very serious down pour while walking just a couple of blocks to get lunch. I chose to skip the only legal pedestrian crosswalk along the way and jay walk closer to my destination because the crosswalk was on a steep part of the street where a small river had suddenly formed. I felt it was not safe to cross the street there. The flowing water was about four feet across and up to six inches deep and was obviously flowing quite fast. As little as a foot of water can move a car. I feared having my feet swept out from under me.

On the upside, our flannel sheets again kept us surprisingly warm in spite of how wet they were and someone gave us a couple of jackets, plus the rain has not been as cold as I feared it would be. So we have been okay the past few days.

Some tips when it rains:

  • Be careful of going into and out of your campsite. Footpaths that are perfectly safe when dry can turn treacherously muddy and suddenly be too steep to be safe. If you typically use a steep path to go in and out, try to scout an alternate path for times of rain.
  • In San Diego county, it very often rains a bit before dawn, then rains one more time after dawn. If you are safe and protected, stay put until after the second shower. Your odds of avoiding the rain go up after that second shower.
  • It also often rains around sunset. Try to get yourself situated before then, if possible. 
  • Store sensitive items (cell phone, tampons, etc) in Ziploc bags to keep them dry even if you get drenched.
So, if you are currently homeless in San Diego county, try to stay safe, stay dry and stay warm. This is the end of the rainy season. Things should get better soon.