A San Clemente woman believes a lack of upkeep in the spillway next to her home may have led to the tree crashing through her home.
Cleanup efforts were underway Tuesday in San Clemente after a tree fell during Monday's storm, crashing through a woman's roof and destroying part of her deck.
Carolyn Jacinto said she was inside her home around noon on Monday when she heard what she initially thought was an earthquake.
"I heard this big kboom, and I thought maybe it was an earthquake," Jacinto said.
Jacinto's home is next to a city spillway, where water from nearby hillside neighborhoods flows through to the ocean.
A tree in the spillway couldn't withstand the storm, piercing through the roof of her garage and wiping out part of her deck, which is also the pathway to her front door.
"It's a mess," she said. "That part in the middle between the garage and the house, the tree totally collapsed. The railing, the deck, everything. So there's no access to the front door anymore."
Jacinto, who has lived in the home for 22 years, says she's frustrated by the damage because she believes it's the result of a lack of upkeep by the city.
She said the area is typically maintained once a year in the spring, but the city did not complete that work last year.
"Last April, they didn't come, and I've been trying to ride them and get them to come ever since," Jacinto said.
She shared an email with ABC7 showing that she contacted the city in July of 2024, expressing concerns, but she said crews never arrived.
San Clemente City Manager Andy Hall said the recent damage is not due to negligence by the city, emphasizing that they conduct regular tree maintenance but are not able to get to every corner of the city every year.
"Today's the first day that I've gotten any real response from them," Jacinto said.
As crews clean up the fallen tree and she prepares to file a claim with the city, Jacinto said she is worried about the additional rain expected this week.
"All of that water is draining into here," she said.
Hall told Eyewitness News this time of year is very busy for the city's maintenance crews, not only working in neighborhoods but also trying to mitigate coastal damage. He said the city is doing the best it can.
