Remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel wreaked havoc in the Salton Sea community of North Shore, flooding roads and leaving them caked beneath dirt that community members and crews were working to clean up on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
North Shore was among the most impacted areas in Riverside County over the weekend. Dirt and rocks covered several roads. Some residents said it hit the area harder than the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary did in August 2023.
Vanessa Zavala said she moved to North Shore from Mecca in March. She stood by mounds of dirt nearby her home on Tuesday.
“This is the first time (I've been) through this disaster,” she said. “It’s so ugly.”
Mercedes Soto, whose son-in-law translated from Spanish to English for The Desert Sun, said she felt
like their house was going to be taken away by the strong winds. Her and some of the neighbors’ fences slid down the street due to flooding.
It was the worst storm that she’s seen hit the area, she said. She’s lived in North Shore since around 2001.
Vanessa Avila woke up to the flooding on her street. Most of her home’s foundation was gone and she could see the water flowing through it, she said. The air conditioning wasn’t working on Tuesday due to that flooding.
“It washed up everybody’s stuff,” she said. “Most of my plants got washed up too, sadly.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Salton Sea community North Shore recovers from major storm damage
