The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • 3

WidnMday Septan 10 W66-THE DESERT SUN Palm Springs CW-A3 Storms: Flood control progress recalled People Dave Naas was new to the arts business when he approached the Indio Chamber of Commerce about sponsoring a Southwest Art Festival Nuss who moved to Indio from San Diego seven months ago said he wanted to start a festival because he enjoyed them in San Diego and found this area lacking in artistic activities He originally planned an arts and crafts event but local artists objected to showing their expensive works next to inexpensive crafts So the festival Oct 18-19 at Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio will feature only local artists (Coatinsed from Page A-l) dig out typifying a phenomenon described by Wilson and outer survivors as a high-spirited hometown camaraderie that has not been repeated since Memories of the flood which some residents said was psychologically more damaging to the community as a whole than this July 8 earthquake were recalled in recent Interviews with those who witnessed it single memory for me was when all the tractors bulldozers) drove up in front of City Hall not asking for one dime Just asking what could they do" said former Mayor Noel Brush Volunteers including CB radio operators saved the day Brush said The electricity and the phones were out In all three Palm Desert homes were destroyed and another 500 were damaged Damage mostly flooding also was reported in Rancho Mirage ($2 million) and Indian Wells ($483000) Crops were destroyed by driving rains and flood waters in the Thermal- Oasis area Raging waters also heavily damaged the Living Desert reserve "taking out groups of palm trees as if they were match Executive Director Karen Sausman recalled A half-dozen bighorn sheep had to be airlifted by helicopter from their mountain retreat to dry ground after several of the protected herd became stranded she said While most of the trailside exhibits were destroyed $40000 was donated and it was spent to restore the well-known tourist attraction Hundreds of homeowners contending the Coachella Valley Water District was negligent in maintaining the dike filed 10 class-action suits Although the district's law firm Redwine and Sherrill of Riverside won a test case absolving the district of negligence almost $3 million in claims was paid out by several of the insurance companies "We did this because we had to avoid a potential $8 million in llabil-ity had all the suits gone to said water district attorney Jerry Shoaf "Even though we might have won them it would have cost the district a lot of In retrospect Tropical Storm Kathleen was a blessing for promoting flood control projects according to city and water district officials "There Is no question that the flood got us the flood control we have Brush said In the past 10 years almost $30 million worth of flood control projects have been completed to protect Palm Desert and the Cove communities from so-called 100-year storms such as Kathleen CVWD spokesman Dennis Mahr said another $15 million will be spent this year for flood control in the Cove communities City officials believe the key flood control work in Palm Desert was accomplished in record time If cities had waited for federal funds it would have taken at least 15 years for the construction of the necessary cement-lined dikes and channels former CVWD General Manager Lowell Weeks said But Palm Desert and neighboring cities opted to create redevelopment agencies to use tax-increment financing and bonds to pay for flood protection Palm centerpiece is the $185 million Palm Valley Channel a cement-lined spillway that carries water five miles from the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains to the Whitewater channel Palm Desert has spent another $15 million for drainage and curb and gutter projects to funnel storm waters into the channel The Palm Valley Channel is designed to withstand a 100-year flood and then some according to Assistant City Manager Carlos Ortega A 100-year flood is one that can be expected to occur once in a 100-year period Are flood control projects a guarantee against a repeat disaster? "If we have a worse storm it could wipe out the Coachella Wilson said Weeks who drew criticism at the time for what was termed the lack of preparation for such a storm was credited by several former and current city officials for pushing the flood work through Ironically Weeks said the district tried to persuade Palm Desert residents in the early 1980s that flood control projects were necessary "We had a series of meetings and a few residents stood up and said it was Weeks recalled "We told them put the plan on the shelf because some day you will need it" Weeks recalled that he was the only water district official to attend public hearings in the wake of the 1976 flood when emotions ran high He often took the brunt of angry accusations "They were looking for someone to he said "I guess they were saying should have told me I would have done something about it' Brush remembered he asked one angry woman to leave a meeting after she accused city officials of knowing four hours in advance that a destructive flood was imminent There were other rumors too Jim McPherson an investment counselor and former city councilman recalled widespread fears that "some big had broken above Palm Desert sending millions of gallons of water cascading down Highway 74 "Of he said "there was no Another often-repeated rumor was that thousands of snakes had been washed out of the canyons and that residents were in danger McPherson remembered With all the flood control channels in place some 1976 flood victims are confident the devastation of Kathleen will not be repeated "I think anyone is sitting around worrying about a flood that can do that kind of damage" Wilson said "We sit around worrying about earthquakes" Dennis Weaver who played Chester on and used his cowboy sense to solve big city crimes as Marshal McCloud on has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame As about 300 well-wishers paid tribute the Emmy Award winning actor set the 1832nd star in the sidewalk in a ceremony Tuesday evening along Hollywood Boulevard But the ceremony was not all sober-minded At one point Amanda Blake who portrayed Marshal Matt Dillon's love interest Miss Kitty on smacked Weaver with a passionate theatrical kiss The embrace prompted Weaver to revert to the high-pitched voice of his old Chester character and say golly Mr Dillon I know what you Cary Kindluad is not only a hero he's also modest When Desert Sun reporter Sanford Nax covered the story of Saturday's rescue of 2 1-month-old Victor Mazii from A decade of flood control projects 1976 Flood control projects Legend 1 East Magnesia Stormwater Channel 2 Palm Valley Stormwater Channel 3 Deep Canyon Stormwater Channel 4 Living Desert Debris Basin 5 La Quinta Flood Control Works 6 La Quinta Stormwater Project 7 Lake Cahuilla 8 Sky Mountain Stormwater Channel 9 Peterson Stormwater Channel 1 0 Villas Stormwater Channel 1 1 Thunderbird Stormwater Channel 1 2 West Magnesia Stormwater Channel 1 3 Coachella Canal June July Aug Tropical Storm Kathleen hits Cove Sept communities Bechtel Engineering Oct hired ter flood contrail study Nov Dec Jon Feb Mar April May June i Bechtel study released Tropical July Storm Doreen hits Oasis area Aug Soptw Oct "SfSevere flood hits Thousand Nov Dec 1977 jan Heavy flooding hits Whitewater i River Feb Mar April Corps o( Engineers issues preliminary Coachella Valley June I control report Key 1978 Existing facilities Completed projects Future Projects 1979 flood July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May Jul)T Tropical Storm Delores hits Aug 'Coachella Valley Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Flood keeps Whitewater River Fob Stormwater Channel flowing near Mar I capacity for nine days April May June July Aug Sopt Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sopl Oct Nov Dec Indian Wells Redevelopment Agency is formed to fund flood control works Upgrading of Deep Canyon Stormwater Channel through the bottom of a swimming pool the child's mother Pamela identified the hero of the happy tale as Gary Borden Kindlund 36 a real estate agent was not around Monday but he called Tuesday responding to a note Nax left on his door "You left a card on my door" Kindlund said "You must be Gary Borden" Nax responded "No I'm Gary he replied Kindlund didn't ask for a correction saying the rescue was no big deal Real modesty Wide receive Willie Gaalt isn't trading his Chicago Bears football jersey lor a tutu but he will don tights and slippers this month for his ballet debut wanted to show them that ballet is not a sissy sport that a masculine guy like myself can come in and do it" Gault said Tuesday at a rehearsal for The ballet to be presented Sepl 29 at a North Side high school stars Gault in a show that mixes classical ballet with popular rap poetry written and performed by a cast of youngsters from Lawndale one of roughest neighborhoods 1080 1981 Indian Wells completed Sky Mountain Stormwater Channel Jan Feb Mar April May June 1982 July Palm Valley Stormwater Channel 0 8 0 Princess Diaaa is Britain's most stylish person according to a Gallup poll that ranked her husband Prince Charles a distant second brother Prince Andrew tied lor third place with TV talk show host Terry Wogaa Andrew's wife the former Sarah Ferguson ranked fifth according to the poll published Tuesday Qaeea Elizabeth II came in sixth actress Joaa Collins seventh Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Queen Mother Elizabeth ninth and Princess Michael of Kent 10th 0 0 0 1983 Aug Started Sept Oct Nov Lower La Quinta flood control works are Doc completed Thundorbird Stormwater Jan Channel in Rancho Mirage is upgraded Feb Mar April May June July Tropical Storm Ishmael hits Coachella Aug Valley La Quinta Redevelopment Sopl I Agency is formed Oct Nov Doc Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Bids received for upper La Quinta stormwater protective works in 1985 Aftermath: Little time for tears (Con tinned from Page A-l) tims the Bartows were so stunned by the damage that there was little time for tears Mrs Bartow who was working at the Desert Lighting store the couple owned at the time remembers when a neighbor called to tell them the bad news "I believe she said "I thought sure we would be untouched because we were high and Bartow said eyewitnesses reported a 15-foot-high wall of water came rushing down from the alluvial fan at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains and slammed into their house Mrs Bartow said she was literally speechless when she first saw her house "When I finally got up to the house and some man had to carry me across the river that flowed down our street I believe she said "There wasn't a door or window still hanging The curtains were Just limp" The remembrance sparked other memories from Bartow "I couldn't walk upright anywhere in the house because of the mud Our Cadillac was turned completely around inside the 1984 Superior Court Judge Gilbert Ahum routinely Imposes life sen fences figuring romance enhances rehabilitation for Jailhouse brides and grooms Alston oversees more jailhouse weddings than any other judge at the Pasadena branch of the Los Angeles County court often officiating at two or three such ceremonies a week Before each ceremony he asks you ready? This is a life The judge says the ceremonies satisfy a romantic streak and help teach inmates to be responsible 1985 Photo courtMy of tha city of Fatal DmwI FLOODED frontage road south of Highway 111 in Palm Desert resembled a river after tropical storm Kathleen in 1978.