Rain floods roads all over the valley

Today’s storm was the most rain the Coachella Valley has received in one day in more than seven decades.

The storm destroyed roads, boulders crashing down onto major highways. Rushing water took over Highway 111, destroying part of the roadway

On numerous occasions, first responders had to rescue trapped people in fast currents.

“There was nowhere left for me to go. I couldn’t get around the flood and I was just stuck,” Steven Dragomir, a Palm Springs resident rescued near Whitewater.

Dragomir says his community flooded and he had to walk to pick up his kids from school but before he knew it, he was trapped and surrounded by a roaring river. A driver spotted him and called for help.

“They had me stay in this vehicle of theirs and they said I would hear them say certain things like, ‘drop off’ that meant there was ad pop off, but that we were going to be okay and that I would only go to my waist,” Dragomir said.

Battalion Chief Michael Smith told News Channel 3’s Lauren Coronado this is the second rescue of the day in his jurisdiction.

“We have a lot of people put in a dangerous situation. We have lookouts downstream and upstream looking out for debris or anything that could hurt our individuals,” Smith said. “Everybody be safe out there because it’s very dangerous right now with all this flooding going on.”

The rain led to voluntary evacuations in an area of Palm Springs.

The city opened Well in the Desert as a storm shelter. Well in the Desert staff said they are serving an additional 15 to 20 people during this extreme weather event.

The rain is over for now but the clean up is going to be extensive.