Roofs, Trees, Power lines Downed By Wind
The winds terrorized several neighborhoods in the Coachella Valley on Thursday and knocked part of the roof off of a double-wide trailer in the Suncrest Mobile Home Park in Palm Desert
No one was inside, but that was not the case in Coachella.
Downed power lines forced the evacuation of six homes in the area of Avenue 53 and Harrison Street.
The Imperial Irrigation District worked with Cal Fire to clear the scene and restore power while the high winds with gusts exceeding 40 mph swirled around.
No one was injured.
However, the extent of the injuries from a crash on Fred Waring Drive and Tennessee Avenue in Palm Desert is unclear.
Authorities say a driver slowed down while avoiding a tree falling in the street.
The car behind swerved and hit the first car, flipping several times.
“Keep both hands on the steering wheel,” said Albert Rodriguez, who is visiting from Riverside. “That would be about the only advice I can give them and just be aware of it.”
Click here for live radar and the 7-Day Forecast
Just a few miles away, palm trees at Country Club Drive and Cook Street fell on the road, blocking one lane.
Authorities used a bulldozer to push them to the side.
“What I said this morning, as soon as those winds popped up (was) did you double check, because I sailed on ships and I know that when it’s that windy, things are not too good,” said Austin Tierney, who is visiting with his wife Maureen from New York.
They got lost for two hours trying to find the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, and when they finally got there, it was closed.
Maureen was upset, but Rodriguez and his wife were not.
“If it for the wind, its for safety,” said Rodriguez. “So, it’s better to have it closed than be stuck out here.”
“We were recording very high sustained winds at three of our five towers and gusts up to 75 mph by the mountain station,” said Lena Zimmerschied, a spokesperson for the tramway.
The tram closed at 3 p.m., but officials say it should be back open at 10 a.m. on Friday if the weather permits.
“It was scary,” said Zane Sand, 12, of his experience on the tram.
“We were up there and it was just ridiculous how windy it was,” said Danielle Sand, 16, who is afraid of heights. “It was freezing cold.”
“Once you open up the doors and try to hike around, yeah, it definitely caught you off guard,” said Denise Sand, who was spending Spring Break with her kids.
Our ride back to Palm Desert was not without incident.
Sand quickly started building up along Highway 111 at Windy Point.
The California Highway Patrol watched on while bulldozers cleared the roadway.
The owner of the mobile home at the Suncrest Mobile Home Park might have been on the roads when the roof caved in.
A neighbor across the greenbelt saw the powerful winds rip through the metal.
“I looked across the golf course and all I saw was this roof coming down,” said Kathleen Hopp, who was with her dog at the time of the incident. “I’ve lived in the valley 23 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
