Clean up continues after gusty winds covered roads with sand
Clean up continues, after the gusty winds left sand and debris on streets throughout the Coachella Valley.
The high speed winds caused low visibility over the weekend through Monday.
In Cathedral City on Monday, the gusts knocked down a billboard off of Date Palm Drive near Vista Chino.
And off of Landau Boulevard, the high winds blew off a big portion of the roof at the Cathedral Palms Senior Apartments.
Management told News Channel 3 the roof damage impacted 16 apartment homes. No injuries were reported and none of the residents' belongings were damaged.
"It was crazy," said Linda who is a resident of the complex, "Yeah, it was I was wondering how many pieces tree we're going to be down. But the thought never crossed my mind about the roof and then someone called me and told me, you know, the roof had been blown off."
Some residents were reportedly displaced and were put up in a nearby motel until the roof is repaired.
“I was in my unit and I heard a loud bang and you know I didn’t think too much of it,” said Steve who is a resident of the complex.
Pieces of roof were seen scattered across the side of the building. “I came out 20-30 minutes later and all this debris was coming over the roof. The wind had been blowing considerably all day and it got worse later on in the day too. But really surprised at how much came off but I’ve seen a roof come off before. I’ve been in tornados but this is close to wind storm activity,” said Steve.
Cities that were most impacted by the aftermath are working to clear out the roads. In Palm Desert, city officials said they’re working to get sand off parts of Monterey Avenue and Dinah Shore by Tuesday morning through the end of the week.
And in Palm Springs, roads were impacted through the wash due to blowing sand.
Palm Springs Police have reopened N Indian Canyon at the Whitewater Wash.
Gene Autry Trail remains closed. A spokesperson for the city of Palm Springs told News Channel 3 that winds continue to create hazardous driving conditions on the road, so it will remain closed overnight and reevaluated Tuesday morning.
