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Heavy rain brings some flooding, power outages to the east valley

The pouring rain brought flooding in parts of the Coachella Valley. Many residents in the east valley welcomed the change in pace, while others say it’s putting a dent in their travel plans.

Tropical Storm Kay brining some much needed rain, from sprinkles to a heavy downfall.

“I love it. You know, to me it's different. You know, it’s like the weather is changing and we’re transitioning into fall and I love it,” said Coachella resident Mandi Mills.

The water quickly built up on the roadways, causing flooding and sidewalks.

Parts of the street were lined with sandbags by the City of Coachella, in hopes to mitigate some of that flooding. The city's Mayor Steve Hernandez told News Channel 3 they will keep a close eye on conditions, “Our staff will be monitoring different situations so that if we need to pump certain areas to allow the water to flow, we’re gonna do that as well close areas.”

A shopping plaza on Avenue 48 and Jackson Street was impacted by a power outage on Friday. It forced some stores to shut down for the day. “This was shocking. I thought I saw it was empty and I’m like oh no one’s coming out right, you know," Mills said after she was turned away from Walmart, "I thought maybe it flooded or something like that so yeah.”

For truck drivers Roosevelt O’Bryant and Mike Willams, their day was delayed because of the rain. “Yeah, we can’t get unloaded because of the rain. The workers left early because of the rain.”

They said the rain put a damper on their work schedule for the weekend. “We’re stuck right now because of the rain. It slowed us up because we’re heading to Miami.”

But when they are able to hit the roads again, they say they are extra cautious when driving their semi trucks. “Slow, drive slowly, carefully and always look left, right, in front of you, behind you. Even on top of you, you know. Get off the road as soon as you can.”

If you are heading out the door this weekend, be sure to drive slowly on those wet slick roads. And if you see any major flooding, be sure to turn around and don’t drown.

Check to see an update on road closures here.

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Samantha Lomibao

Samantha joined KESQ News Channel 3 in May 2021. Learn more about Samantha here here.

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