The Brief

On Monday morning in Palm Springs and across the Coachella Valley, residents and visitors woke to a serene sunrise and cloudy skies, a very different picture from the weather throughout much of the night.

The storm brought more than half of an entire year’s worth of rain to the region in a single day. Flooding was significant across the valley, but there have not been reports of deaths or serious injuries at this point. Now the desert cities will have to contend with serious cleanup and damage control.

Main roads have been closed as a precaution since Saturday and some 30 miles of Interstate 10 was closed due to flooding, which made it virtually impossible to get out of or into the city of Palm Springs from the west as of now. The westbound lanes of the 10 reopened at about 12:15 p.m. Monday and the eastbound side reopened shortly before 1 p.m.

The storm brought serious impacts, including residents in a mobile home park in Mecca — in the southern part of the Coachella Valley — being evacuated due to flooding. Some of the most severe flooding has been in that area. Other big impacts included a sinkhole opening up on an Indian Wells street and a Rancho Mirage hospital needing floodwaters pumped out of its lower floors. Arcing power lines set off some small fires in Palm Springs, but the local fire department was able to put them out.

911 call line failure

There were intermittent power outages for some residents, and in the middle of the night, the 911 call line went down across the Coachella Valley. There’s still no estimate on when it may be back online. Riverside County sent an alert to residents with alternative numbers to call for their area, but it’s unclear if visitors also received that alert.

Sunrise on Monday after the worst of Tropical Storm Hilary had passed was a serene sight over the Coachella Valley.

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Erin Stone

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LAist

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Shane Reichardt, Riverside County Emergency Management Department’s public information officer said so far the impacts they’ve seen and responded to have been relatively minor and expected, such as some water getting into homes. They’ve also conducted some swift water rescues, primarily of people who got stuck in their vehicles in flooded streets, he said.

“Generally speaking, we've seen impacts like these before, so it's hard to say that the tropical storm delivered more of a punch than we've seen with some other storms,” Reichardt said. “Certainly we're seeing damage, so it's not an insignificant storm by any measure.”

He said the true extent of the damage won’t be known until later today and in the coming days.

Taking precautions

Before the storm, most people I spoke with were skeptical about how bad it would be, though many were still taking precautions, with many grocery stores in the area running out of essential supplies such as water, battery and flashlights.

Unhoused folks I spoke with weren’t sure where to go for shelter — for example, there’s only one overnight shelter here in the city of Palm Springs and it only has 20 beds. Many businesses closed early on Sunday or didn’t open at all. Overall, it does seem most people heeded the message to prepare and stay home.

Reichardt said the tropical storm along with the coincidental impact of an earthquake up in Ojai in Ventura County is yet another reason to always be prepared for a disaster year-round here in Southern California. And, of course, human-caused climate change is only making our wild weather here more extreme.

“We have a very diverse state and we can have a lot of different things that happen from fires to floods, to earthquakes,” Reichardt said. “By residents having a preparedness mindset, their go bag looks the same for earthquakes as it does for fires, for floods. We want people to learn lessons from each event and make sure that they are prepared for themselves, their families, their specific situation.”

Metrolink, Southern California’s regional commuter rail service, is planning for major service cuts — slashing 29% of weekday trains and 40% of weekend trains. Those cuts could go into effect as soon as next month.

The Metrolink Board of Directors on Friday voted to move forward with a $420 million budget proposal for this fiscal year, which includes the service cuts. The proposal now goes to member agencies for review and approval.

A majority of Metrolink’s budget is funded by Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties’ transportation agencies. For more than a year, Metrolink officials have been building a budget that member agencies, like the Orange County Transportation Authority and L.A. Metro, would approve as it struggles to close its funding gaps.

How did we get here? 

The service announcement comes the same week as the agency rolled out fare increases.

Metrolink officials blame low ridership numbers for the budget troubles and increasing operational costs for the potential change in service.

The agency expects an 18% dip in ticket revenue in the next fiscal year. On top of that, both OCTA and L.A. Metro proposed cutting their subsidies to the rail service by millions of dollars.

Tom Schamber, Metrolink's chief financial officer, said the service cuts were necessary to balance the budget.

“These cuts were targeted at low-performing trains and trains that overlap with the Pacific Surfliner service,” Schamber said. “The schedule will look more like a commuter rail service focused on weekdays during peak periods.”

How could my routes change?

In Orange County, the number of weekend trains will be cut in half and weekday trains by nearly 40%. Weekday service to Oceanside is included in those cuts.

San Bernardino and Antelope Valley lines will also see major service cuts to weekday and weekend trains. Weekday trains for the Ventura County line were cut by 36%.

You can see the proposed service schedule here.

What do some riders think? 

During public comment on Friday, many riders expressed concern that Metrolink was entering a transit death spiral — a slippery cycle where fewer services and higher fares lead to fewer riders and deeper financial trouble.

Cooper Crane, a UC Riverside graduate student and historian of Southern California’s public transportation network, said the cuts make the service impractical.

“It is going to bring Metrolink into a death spiral, which could be compared to the historic collapse of services such as the Pacific Electric here in Southern California,” Crane said. “We don't want to experience something like the collapse of the Pacific Electric again, but the budget cuts that have been made by Orange County and the lack of government commitment to the support for the service is pretty much exactly what that will lead to.”

Mason Buck of Irvine said he mainly uses the Metrolink services recreationally.

“You can understand my concern when I look, and I see weekend service getting absolutely gutted in Orange County. … Issues like this are extremely frustrating to me because it feels like such a self-inflicted wound,” Buck said. “I just want an alternative to driving.”

The changes will not just stunt ridership growth but exacerbate ridership loss, Adriana Rizzo, a founding member of Californians for Electric Rail, said.

“This is going to be a net negative for Metrolink. I'm very concerned that we're going to be back here in six months, looking at even more severe cuts,” Rizzo said. “Metrolink is essential for the economy. It's essential to keep our region moving, and we cannot just let it die.”

What’s next?

County transportation agencies need to consider and adopt the budget before it goes back to the Metrolink board for final approval on Oct. 23.

Southern California roads are likely to get more treacherous soon because of El Niño.

The climate pattern’s signature heavy rainstorms are expected to hit over the next few months, and some coastal roads could be impacted by surging sea levels much sooner than that.

We could also get a taste of what that will look like this weekend with Tropical Storm Rachel expected to pass through Baja California and the San Diego area. High surf has already been slamming the coast, and forecasters predict the first widespread rain of the season starting this weekend.

All this rain on the horizon means extra risks for the many Southern Californians who spend a lot of time driving.

Officials are urging residents to get their cars ready now for an especially wet El Niño season.

Preparing your car

As with home, there is a series of steps to take to ensure your car can safely get you around during extreme weather.

First, consider replacing your windshield wipers, especially if they’re worn out. According to AAA, most manufacturers recommend replacing wipers every six to 12 months.

Take a look at your headlights and brake lights too. If they’re broken or their bulbs have burned out, replace them. If the lenses are weathered or hazy, have them cleaned up or restored.

Also replace old or worn tires. AAA recommends replacing tires every six to 10 years or if you see any bulges, bubbles, sidewall damage, separated treads or exposed cords.

You can also use a quarter for a quick, unofficial tire test. If you stick a quarter between your tire’s treads with the top of George Washington facing the tire and can still see the top of his head, the treads are wearing down and due for replacement soon.

Use a tire gauge to check your tire pressure too. The correct psi is usually listed on the inside of your car door or in the owner’s manual. You can add air to your tires at just about any gas station.

It’s also a good idea to keep certain supplies in your car in case you become stranded, including a flashlight and batteries, a cellphone charger, a jacket, gloves and a first-aid kit.

Avoid floodwaters

If you find yourself driving during heavy rain and flooding, never attempt to drive or walk through floodwaters.

Emergency management officials say one of the most common causes of death during storms is flooding, with many of those deaths in vehicles.

“Driving during rain can be hazardous, especially when we're not following the signs and the directions of our first responders and of the road departments,” said Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County of Public Works. “If you are traveling in L.A. County and it is raining, and there is a sign up that says, ‘Do not go through this water,’ I advise you not to go across that street.”

Even if a flooded street seems shallow, it’s impossible to know exactly how deep the water is or what’s under the surface. Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, and a foot of water can carry away a car.

Topline:

New data shows Waymo’s robotaxis are crashing less often as they log more miles driven in Los Angeles. Experts recently joined LAist 89.3’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle and said the numbers are encouraging but don’t tell the whole story.

The data: Analyzed by the Los Angeles Times, it found:

• Crash rates are down from 57 crashes per million miles driven in 2023 to under six this year.
• The majority of Waymo-involved crashes happened while the vehicle was stopped. However, Waymos are designed to stop when they encounter issues.

Why safety is improving: Better technology, remote human help, and human drivers getting accustomed to Waymos are likely reasons safety is improving, Matthew Raifman of UC Berkeley told AirTalk listeners.

Concerns: Former federal auto safety regulator and UCLA law professor Ann Carlson stressed on air that Waymo’s improving safety record shouldn’t be extrapolated onto other autonomous car companies like Tesla’s Cybercab or Amazon’s Zoox, both of which have had recent safety issues.

Listen: To the full AirTalk segment above to hear about the challenges involved in making autonomous cars safe in every environment.