Neighborhood Calls for Help After Getting Buried in Tumbleweed Takeover

A tumbleweed takeover in California prompted a cry for help from the residents of one particularly infested neighborhood.

After the strong winds that swept across Southern California on Monday left the High Desert community of Victorville buried in tumbleweeds, locals were forced to ask the city for help removing the prickly bushes.

As many as 150 homes were affected in one neighborhood that faces open desert, Victorville spokeswoman Sue Jones told the Daily Press, with some houses accumulating enough tumbleweeds to reach their second stories.

“Normally you get a few flying down the street or whatnot, but never this many that will stack up even this much, and this is mild compared to what it was actually in the back yard and in the front of the house. So no, it’s never been this bad,” Victorville resident Tanya Speight told KABC-TV.

Crews from the city’s Public Works, Code Enforcement and Community Services divisions as well as the San Bernardino County Fire Department were sent to assist with the cleanup.

Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com.