Storms bring flooding to Vegas
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Firefighters are rescued after floodwaters engulfed their truck Tuesday.
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Thunderstorms dumped as much as three inches of rain on parts of Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, on Tuesday, causing flash floods (August 19)
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Powerful thunderstorms caused flash flooding Tuesday in Las Vegas, knocking out power, closing roads and trapping some motorists atop their cars.
The torrential downpour dumped 3 inches of rain in 90 minutes, bringing severe flooding mostly to the city's northwest section. Casinos along the Las Vegas strip saw only light rainfall.
"There was so much water, we couldn't see the sidewalks," said Ann Friary, owner of Northshore Learning Tree, a day care center.
Mayor Oscar Goodman declared a local state of emergency and urged people to stay at home and keep off the roads.
"Remain calm," Goodman said at a televised news conference. "Remain in place."
Rushing water closed the southbound lanes of U.S. 95 and dime-sized hail pelted neighborhoods east of Las Vegas. No injuries were reported.
A rescue helicopter plucked at least two people from the tops of their cars, and four firefighters were rescued from a fire engine that became trapped by a raging wall of water.
Some 3,000 customers briefly lost power, Nevada Power said. Electricity was restored to all but about 300 within a few hours.
The city's last state of emergency was declared after high water inundated the Strip in July 1999. That storm killed two and caused more than $20 million in property damage.
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