from the flooded area of Ocotillo and the nearby communities that surround the Salton Sea; the sea rose -. A quarter mile of Interstate 8 and a 60-foot bridge were destroyed by the flood, which also washed away mobile homes, trucks, and cars. In Los Angeles, two people died of injuries suffered from slippery roads. One man drowned in El Centro. and two people drowned when their cars tumbled into the water near the city. Record flood stage was attained at numerous streams near the Coachella Valley. Widespread property damage was recorded on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada as well as the nearby desert. Across the San Joaquin Valley, 2/3 of the $150 million raisin crop was threatened. Crops including cotton, lettuce, and hay were damaged. About half of the lettuce in the Palo Verde Valley were lost. Homeowners in Palm Desert suffered $4 million in damage from the storm; the town received more than a year's worth of rainfall in a matter of days. No serious injuries were reported throughout the desert city, though two agricultural dikes broke. Several miles of railway track, including three trestles that belonged to the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, were destroyed and five others were damaged. At more than 50 other locations, tracks were buried by mudslides or had the ground under them washed away. After assessing the damage from Kathleen, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company decided in 1977 to abandon most of the railroad. The United States Gypsum narrow gauge railroad line from Plaster City and the Santa Fe Railway line from Rice to Blythe also had tracks damaged, and a Santa Fe freight train was stranded and quickly rescued. A section of Interstate 8 from Yuma to San Diego was destroyed. Overall, hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed; Tropical Storm Kathleen was described as a one-in- 160-year event. Total damage was $160 million, making Kathleen one of the costliest tropical storms in state history. Parts of California were declared a disaster area, and flash flood watches were issued throughout Southern California, including the desert and mountains. Flash flood warnings were also issued for parts of California, as well as nearby states Nevada and Arizona, but were dropped as the rain tampered off on September 11. Arizona On September 10–11, gale-force winds caused considerable damage to the city of Yuma. For a time, the sustained winds exceeded ,