Storm guide · San Diego County coast: Mission Beach and Mission Bay

Coastal flooding in Mission Beach and San Diego: what to check now

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By the Honest Mold Test Editorial Team · Researched from authoritative sources (incl. EPA and NWS guidance) · Published October 2026

Record high tides reached the San Diego County coast in the last week of October. On the morning of Monday, October 26, seawater broke through the city's sand berm along Mission Bay in Mission Beach and ran through the neighborhood toward Mission Boulevard. National Weather Service storm reports had water up to about 2 feet deep on Bayside Lane, with more flooding on San Rafael Place, and residents near El Carmel Point could not drain flooded alleys fast enough. Matt Gardner of the Mission Beach Town Council said the water went through neighborhoods, garages and properties (FOX 5, October 26). One resident told 10News that water came in through her sliding glass door and that she expects damage to the drywall behind her baseboards (10News, October 26). Times of San Diego reported that the flooding damaged homes along the bay side before city crews rebuilt the berm on October 27.

The tides kept climbing. On Tuesday morning, October 27, the NOAA gauge at Broadway Pier downtown read 8.52 feet, more than a foot above predictions (Times of San Diego, October 27), and the La Jolla gauge reached a preliminary 7.98 feet, which the National Weather Service called an all-time record for that site. Downtown, West Harbor Drive between Market and Front streets closed briefly on Monday and Tuesday (KPBS, October 27). City crews rebuilt the Mission Bay berms at three times their earlier size ahead of Tuesday's tide (FOX 5, October 26). The National Weather Service has the San Diego County coast under a Coastal Flood Warning until 1 PM Thursday, October 29, during the late-morning high tides. NOAA's outlook puts the next likely round of high-tide flooding at La Jolla around November 25, with another around December 24.

If seawater got into your home, garage or ground-floor unit, this page is for you. You may not need to spend anything on mold. Getting wet material dry, and rinsing the salt out, matters more than anything you buy. Here is how to tell what you are dealing with.

The first 48 hours: what matters

EPA guidance is that wet building materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually do not grow mold. So the job right now is drying, not testing. With more high tides through Thursday, wait until the water has gone down before you start.

1. Stay safe first. Don't walk through water where outlets or cords may be live, and don't run a generator indoors or in the garage.
2. Photograph before you clean. Water lines on walls, soaked flooring, damaged belongings and the street outside. Insurers rely on these.
3. Get standing water out and open the house or garage when the weather allows. Fans and a dehumidifier do more than heat.
4. Rinse off the salt. Seawater leaves salt in drywall, wood and concrete. Salt pulls moisture back out of the air, so surfaces can stay damp after they feel dry. Rinsing hard surfaces with fresh water and then drying them helps.
5. Pull what soaked through. Carpet pad, wet cardboard, upholstered items and the bottom of drywall that stays soft after two days usually come out. A common rule is to cut drywall a foot or so above the water line.
6. Check what sits low. Water heaters, furnaces, washers and dryers, car chargers and outlets near the floor. If saltwater reached them, have them checked before you use them.

Do you need a mold test?

Often, no. If you can see mold, EPA says sampling is usually unnecessary: the job is to remove the wet material and fix the moisture. A test earns its cost when you smell mustiness but cannot find the source, when you are buying or selling, or when a landlord or insurer disputes what happened. Our cost guide lays out honest price ranges.

For a small area (EPA uses roughly 10 square feet as the line), most homeowners can handle cleanup themselves with gloves, an N95 and bagging the material. Larger areas, or water that got behind baseboards and into walls, are where a professional makes sense. An inexpensive moisture meter will tell you more than a mold test in the first few weeks.

Insurance: what usually applies

• Most homeowners and renters policies exclude flood, and that includes ocean water from tides and surge. Flood coverage comes from a separate flood policy (NFIP or private).
• If you have flood insurance, report the damage now and keep the photos and receipts for fans, dehumidifiers and supplies.
• New NFIP policies usually have a 30-day waiting period, so a policy bought now would not cover this week's tides, but it would be in force before the late-November king tides.
• As of October 28, there is no federal disaster declaration for this event. Watch the City of San Diego's website for local notices.

Is it urgent, or can you slow down? An honest triage

Renters: a California note

California law requires landlords to keep rentals habitable (Civil Code 1941.1), and visible mold that affects living conditions is listed as a substandard condition under Health and Safety Code 17920.3. Report water damage to your landlord in writing and keep a copy. Photograph your own belongings for a renters claim. See our renters guide.

A note on storm-chasing contractors

After coastal flooding, door-knockers follow. Be wary of anyone who wants a large deposit up front, asks you to sign over insurance payments, pressures you to decide today, or will not give a written estimate. Get more than one quote, and check a contractor's license with the California Contractors State License Board (cslb.ca.gov).

Frequently asked

The water only covered my garage floor. Do I need to do anything?
Probably not much. Bare concrete dries on its own once the salt is rinsed off. Check the bottom of any drywall, stored boxes, and anything that sat on the floor.

Will bleach fix it?
Not on drywall or wood. Porous material with mold growth should be removed. Bleach is for hard, non-porous surfaces, and never mixed with ammonia.

More king tides are coming. What should I do now?
Through Thursday's high tides and again before late November, move stored items off the garage floor, follow the city's berm and parking notices, and photograph the space beforehand so you can document any change.