Dust storm topples trees, damages buildings in Tulare County

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) - The dust has settled in Tulare County after a windstorm swept through Monday afternoon.

At Porterville High School, crews are repairing a part of the roof of the wrestling room after the strong gusts tore it from the building.

The district says the part that peeled back was a protective foam layer and the roof itself is still intact.

The storm also knocked down trees in Woodlake and Corcoran, where Splash Circus is preparing to open.

A video captured the moments the dust storm moved through, bending some of the poles, and tearing parts of the tent.

"I don't think it was even ten minutes, but it felt like hours with the dust wind blowing, a little bit of rain everything flying around," said Amauri Silva with Splash Circus.

Silva says he and three others were on top of the tent, working to assemble it, as the wind blew in.

"Once I looked back, I even get goosebumps now. It was like nothing we've ever experienced," Silva said.

The crew was hard at work Tuesday afternoon, reinforcing the tent and clearing out debris while also counting their blessings.

"That's where God wanted the motor home to be and if it had been two feet closer the tree would have the tree would have landed on top and my nephew was inside," said Silva.