“It goes from zero to 100 quickly out here:” City of Palm Springs prepares for flooding

Even though Thursday's rainy weather in the valley was not as severe as in other parts of the state, the City of Palm Springs and its fire department made sure to prepare. 

Ahead of the rainy weather, Palm Springs Fire Department set up its water rescue equipment and boat. If any water rescue needs to be done, four engines will be sent along with the truck containing all the water rescue gear.

Out of an abundance of caution, the fire department started preparing for the storm on Tuesday.

"We know the reality of the storms. It is the desert, and it goes from zero to 100 quickly out here," said captain Nathan Gunkel with PSFD.

Each of the city's fire stations is ready to hand out storm sandbags for people who want to prep for possible flooding. As the city's emergency manager, Daniel DeDelms dropped off those bags at the stations.

"There is going to be some flooding over the next couple of days. Hopefully, it won't be as bad as it was in 2019," said DeSelms. "In a couple of days, all that water is going to start coming down from Whitewater and Idyllwild, and so the roads are gonna close from that."

City officials are warning drivers to be careful and follow any road closures.

"The water may look like it's only an inch or two deep from the surface, but what you don't know is the whole road is gone underneath, and it could be four or five feet deep," said Gunkel.