Southern California desert storms: 1 killed in flash-flooding
By Rob McMillan and Darsha Philips| KABC-TV Los AngelesPALMDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- Desert areas are bracing for another day of wet weather after heavy rain surged through parts of Southern California on Sunday.
Throughout the Coachella Valley, streets looked more like river beds, and several people had to be rescued from their cars.
Residents say the flooding happened very quickly. In Needles, near the Arizona border, the road was completely washed out from heavy rain.
Outside of Needles, many people got stuck in the fast-moving water, including a 77-year-old woman from Lake Havasu, who was found dead, still seat belted inside her vehicle. Although that's the only known fatality, there were a number of truckers and other drivers who were also trapped.
A truck driver was briefly trapped inside a truck with the water rising inside his cab. Fortunately, he was able to get out safely.
Flash flooding caused a mess in the Indio area. Neighborhoods, homes, gas stations and streets looked like rivers. Cars were stranded, and people in the area said the flooding happened in an instant.
"It just came out of nowhere. The inside of our ceiling broke, so our entire store is flooded," said Brittney Ortega, a gas station employee in Indio. "It kept coming and coming and coming, and we just couldn't stop it."On Highway 62 in Morongo Valley, a wall of mud five feet high and about a half-mile wide came across the road. A number of cars were stuck in the mud, and some of the stranded motorists had to be rescued. It took crews several hours to clear the road.
A flash-flood watch went into effect at 1 p.m. Monday and will last throughout the day.
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