VIDEO: Public works crew races to clear debris from raging Lake Elsinore flood canal

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KABC) -- Public works crews raced Saturday to keep canals and flood channels clear of debris in flood-prone areas as a storm dropped inches of rain on Southern California.

On Brookstone Street in Lake Elsinore, a Riverside County crew used an excavator perched on the side of a canal to try and intercept boulders and other debris caught in a deep-brown torrent of water that would otherwise become trapped at an overpass and block the canal.

The rocks and boulders were moving with such force that they could be heard as they loudly slammed into the canal wall.

During past flooding events, the canal has become blocked by large pieces of debris and overflowed into the surrounding neighborhood. A significant debris flow was also reported at Grand Avenue.