Leaving Chula Vista

Luz de la Cruz lives on Hill Street in Chula Vista, north of East San Ysidro Boulevard. Tuesday, while her brother was watering down the house, she and her boyfriend, Matt Abrams, were loading up their car and getting ready to evacuate.

"We're just getting letters, photos, the bills," she said. "Actually, I'm scared."
De la Cruz said they might be heading to the San Ysidro Civic Center on East Park Avenue.

Luz Camacho, cq with Casa Familiar, the social services agency that is operating the Civic Center evacuation center, said the center had been open since 8 a.m. on Tuesday, but only four families had signed in as of 12:30 p.m.

She said they can handle up to 150 people there and 150 more people at a nearby site. Camacho said that the evacuation center was accepting donations of packaged items such as granola bars, healthy snacks and juices.

Nacho Martinez and Johnny Willer of Martinez Supply, a local hardware company, were dropping off at least a dozen packages of bottled water and other supplies at the center.

"We'd expect the same if we needed it," said Willer.

- Janine Zuniga