Flash Flood in Nevada, July 8, 1999

One of the worst flash flood events this century inundated the Las Vegas Valley damaging roads and buildings, sweeping away vehicles and bringing the entire city almost to a standstill from late morning through late afternoon. Thunderstorms formed over the elevated west side of the valley and began dumping heavy rain between 10 and 11 a.m. PDT. The storms slowly drifted to the east producing rainfall amounts over 1.5 inches across a substantial part of the metro area and some localized amounts topping 3 inches. The downpours forced closure of McCarran International Airport for about one hour and arriving planes were diverted to Los Angeles. Most of the rain ended by noon, but not before heavy runoff turned surface roads and washes into raging rivers carving a path of destruction toward the lower east side.Early during the event, a roof collapsed on a motorcycle dealership under a heavy downpour but that was only a precursor to more significant damage to come throughout the day. Hundreds of motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles and helplessly watch as their cars were partially submerged or carried away. Numerous homeowners could do nothing but save a few items as flood waters poured into ground level floors and basements. Perhaps the most graphic display of property destruction occurred at the Miracle Mile Mobile Home Park which is located near the edge of Flamingo Wash on the east side of the valley. The rushing water eroded the unlined banks so extensively that at least one mobile home fell into the wash and four others were destroyed. Electricity was knocked out for a few hours to 2,500 customers and some gas lines were broken by the force of the water. The Las Vegas Strip also saw significant flooding with the most notable damage occurring in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace where two feet of water damaged over 60 stores and forced evacuation of the luxury shopping mall. Over 200 hundred swift water rescues were performed before flood waters receded and it is remarkable that only one drowning occurred. A homeless man's body was pulled from debris in the Flamingo Wash early in the afternoon. Several Clark County Flood Control gauges recorded water levels in area washes and the Gowan Detention Basin filled up to 22 feet deep, one foot below its capacity. An estimated $25 million dollars in damage occurred to both public and private property. On July 20, President Clinton declared the event a federal disaster.