Drivers Get Stuck In Floods

Araby Drive at the Wash in Palm Springs is prone to flooding, according to the Police Department.

The area was closed down on Tuesday morning and then reopened at 2:30 p.m.

But it didn’t take long for someone to sink.

“The water is too aggressive right now,” said Officer Don Dougherty, with the Palm Springs Police Department.

The incident happened at around 6:45 p.m.

The driver said he was going home and saw no warning signs and kept on driving until his minivan wouldn’t budge.

“If you can’t see the roadway, it might not be there,” said Dougherty. “In this case, there was just a lot of sand that had washed across the roadway.”

The driver was not injured.

He stood by as authorities towed his van out of the water.

Public Works arrived after 8 p.m. to shut the area down for the second time in the day.

“It’s weird hearing all of the people that are from here complaining about it,” said Ciara Glagola, 14, who is on vacation. “I’m used to cold weather.”

“Even though you guys are probably freezing and drowning, we love it,” said Susan Glagola, who strolled down El Paseo in Palm Desert comfortably in the rain with her husband and daughter.

The Glagolas are from Michigan and said that they have seen much worse.

“It didn’t bother us,” said Susan Glagola. “As long as it’s not snow.”

“We don’t like being out on the roads at all,” said Velma Otterman, owner of Cactus Flower Shoes. “We kind of stay home.”

Otterman said sales at get store have been down the past few days.

“In California, people stay home when it rains.”

Otherwise, drivers expose themselves to hazardous road conditions, authorities said.

Frank Sinatra Drive in Rancho Mirage was shutdown in the morning.

The Whitewater Wash spilled onto the street and pushed boulders onto the roadway.

“Yeah, people had to go around to get home,” said Jim Stefanishion, who lives near the Wash.

“We came down throughout Country Club (Drive), and we could see the Wash running, and the water was really running,” said Cindy Hoffman, who lives near the Wash.

Authorities cleaned up the debris and reopened the road.

Although traffic moved along smoothly in the evening, it was shutdown again indefinitely, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Law enforcement agencies warned drivers Tuesday to drive carefully on slick roads.

“Obviously, slamming on the breaks, you’ll lose rolling friction and your car won’t stop,” said Dougherty. “When there is standing water on the roadway, your tires ride onto of the water instead of the roadway and you can’t steer the vehicle.

Tune into News Channel 3 HD in the Morning at 6 a.m. for live traffic updates and the latest on all road closures.