As many of you know, Friday (Jan. 20) featured a powerful storm that was dumping rain all over Southern California. Hard rain. Sometimes it came down in buckets.
At about 2:30 p.m. on Friday, we received a call from the Riverside County sheriff's department about two horses stuck in the mud in the Woodcrest area. Two animal control officers responded, followed by a third officer. The horses were found in a corral with water rushing through, essentially dividing the corral in half.
The ...fencing around the property had fallen down and water was eroding the ground around the animals at an alarming rate.
We made contact with the horses' owner who arrived to the scene. The three officers and the owner made their way to the animals, although that was not the easiest task because the officers were forced to wade through waist-deep muddy water in one spot.
Nonetheless, they all got to the stressed horses and relocated them to a barn in a higher spot of the property. It was a bit chaotic, but all worked out in the end.
The surrounding area suffered some significant damage. According to one of our officers, he reported that water was flowing through property owners' yards, roads were washed out and driveways ruined. It was uncertain what might have happened to the horses if not for the mutual-aid call from our friends at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
As always, we're just happy to assist the public in times of urgent need. Here are a few shots from the scene:
