POPPY MANIA
Mayor says go away as tourists flood town
The mayor tried dubbing it Poppy-palooza. The names that stuck are Poppy Nightmare and Poppy Apocalypse
The sleepy California resort town of Lake Elsinore is in “crisis” mode – overrun with stampeding tourists seeking selfies in the poppy superbloom caused by recent torrential rains.
The “Disneyland-sized crowds” descending on the carpets of golden flowers caused crippling gridlock and a bouquet of other problems over the weekend, officials said.
Cars had to be towed from freeway ramps, a rattlesnake bit a visitor, bathrooms couldn’t keep up with demand, a city staffer was the victim of a hit-and-run and shuttles meant to alleviate congestion were hopelessly trapped in traffic, the mayor said in a series of social media updates.
“People are creating chaos out there and we have already had an injury. This is a public safety crisis so we ask your support,” city officials said on Facebook.
In a video posted Sunday, Mayor Steve Manos said city council members had joined the front lines, acting as “flag people” to give overworked traffic coordinators a break.
“The guy that got hit by the car got up, limped off and worked a 12-hour day. This is the commitment from your city staff,” he said. “We’re overwhelmed,” he said, urging people to visit on weekdays, not weekends.
He said rain in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday would probably only extend the town’s agony. “The rain is going to be like vitamins for these poppies, and all I can say is that I don’t expect this to be over here for the next week or two. You know, I expect next weekend is going to be almost as bad as this one,” he said.
Walker Canyon, the main target of the tourists, was completely shut down Sunday due to an “unbearable” influx of visitors, the city said in a Twitter post that included the hashtag #poppynightmare. It was reopened Monday, but the parking lot was completely full by lunch time, officials said.