Valley residents face flood cleanup from weekend storm

Many residents captured extraordinary footage of the lightning shows and hail happening overnight — but in the morning were faced with something much less spectacular — road closures, flooding and debris flows.

Several desert cities dealt with power outages and washed out roads after remnants of Tropical Storm Sergio brought severe thunderstorms and heavy rains to the valley.

Desert Hot Springs and Indio received rainfall totals of 1.10 inches with Palm Springs and Thermal trailing close behind with nearly an inch of downpour.

The heavy rain within a short period of time caused flash flooding and roads to wash out, leaving mud, debris and rocks in roadways Saturday morning.

CAL FIRE stations across the valley are offering free sandbags and sand for residents to fill themselves. Firefighters recommend picking up bags to be prepared for future storms.

Home Depot shopper and North Shore resident Elaine Smith said the severity of flooding and hail caught her by surprise, saying hail came inside her home. “It came through the hood vent, into our stove, and it landed on top of our stove. And then we had water coming in through our front door,” Smith said.

Friday night’s storm also caused major road damage in and around Joshua Tree National Park.

Power and internet services are out in many park buildings and multiple closures are in effect due to severe flood damage.

All dirt roads in the park are closed. In the Cottonwood area, inbound and outbound roads, the visitor center and campground are all closed.

In Cathedral City, Varner Road is closed between Date Palm Drive and Mountain View Road this weekend as crews clean up flash flooding debris covering the street.

City officials tells us Varner Road should reopen sometime Monday and that drivers should use Interstate 10 as an alternative route.