Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms Bailing Out Water, Mud After Flood

Residents in the desert communities of Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms bailed water and mud from their homes and businesses Saturday as the San Bernardino County areas began drying out after Friday’s flash flood.

Another flood watch was in effect most of Saturday in the Owens Valley, eastern San Bernardino County and eastern Inyo County, but the fierce thunderstorms that had plagued the desert areas Thursday and Friday failed to materialize, the National Weather Service reported. The flood watch was canceled at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Eleven hikers who had been stranded Friday night at the top of the 8,500-foot Aerial Tramway above Palm Springs were rescued by helicopter Saturday morning, according to Ernie Brown, a spokesman for Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

A total of 145 riders were unable to return to their cars when the thundershowers severed the skyway’s power lines and washed out the road to the tram. All but 11 were airlifted out Friday night, before high winds and darkness grounded the helicopter, Brown said.

50 Vehicles Stranded

No one was riding the tram when the flood hit and knocked out the power. About 50 vehicles remained stranded Saturday at the lower end of the tramway because the road was impassable, Brown said. The tramway is expected to remain closed for a few days.

Meanwhile, federal aviation investigators responded to the scene of the crash of a light plane in Cajon Pass, where three people were killed Friday. The identities of the victims, a man, a woman and a child between 3 and 5 years old, were withheld pending notification of their relatives.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were trying to determine whether the crash was caused by the storm, pilot error or a mechanical malfunction. Results of the investigation are not expected until Monday.

Fire officials distributed more than 200 sandbags Saturday to residents of Yucca Valley, which was hit hardest by Friday’s flash-flooding. Thirteen homes in Yucca Valley and five in Twentynine Palms were flooded with as much as two feet of water, fire officials reported.

The sun appeared for several hours Saturday morning, giving residents some respite before scattered showers returned late in the day.

One road leading to Pioneer Town, north of Yucca Valley, remained closed Saturday, but other highways in Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley were reopened, transportation officials said.

In Joshua Tree National Monument, a 35-mile stretch of road on the south side of the park--known as Route 11--will remain closed for three or four days because of extensive road damage, rangers said. However, the park is accessible from several other areas.

The moist air from Mexico and Baja California that caused the desert thundershowers is heading east out of California, forecasters said.