FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CITY HALL COLUMN UPDATE
Contact:
Tim Hacker, City Manager
702.346-5295
thacker@ci.mesquite.nv.us
Things You Should Know About Flooding
Flash flood season in
Clark County is July through September, a time when intense summer storms, steep slopes and the dry desert soil combine in a formula that could cause flooding.
Motorists need to avoid flooding roadways and children should not play in floodwater or flood control facilities like channels or detention basins.
Floodwaters can be extremely dangerous. The force of just a few inches of swiftly moving water can knock people off their feet.
The best protection during a flood is to leave the area and go to shelter on higher ground. Cars can be easily swept away in fast moving floodwater. Never drive through and amount of floodwater. If you can’t see the lines on the street, it’s too dangerous to risk trying to cross the intersection or area. Take the extra five minutes and find another route.
Flash flood waters move at very fast speeds and can roll boulders, tear out trees, destroy buildings, and obliterate bridges. Walls of water can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet and generally are accompanied by a deadly cargo of debris.
The best response to any signs of flash flooding is to move immediately and quickly to higher ground. Floods and flash floods occur within all 50 states, and Nevada is no exception.
Communities particularly at risk are those located in low-lying areas, near water or downstream from a dam. Floods are the most common and widespread of all-natural disasters except fire.
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Most communities in the United States can experience some kind of flooding after rains, heavy thunderstorms or winter snow thaws. Floods can be slow or fast rising, but generally develop over a period of days. Flash floods usually result from intense storms dropping large amounts of rain within a brief period. Flash floods occur with little or no warning and can reach full peak in only a few minutes.
Some areas of Clark County recorded as much as an astonishing three inches of rain in a 90-minute period. Since 1982, 18 people have perished in Clark County floods.
With every completed flood control improvement, a greater part of the community is protected from the dangers of floodwaters. Individual and business owners can protect themselves from flood losses by purchasing flood insurance through National Flood Insurance Program. Homeowner’s policies do not cover flood damage. Information if available through local insurance agents and emergency management offices.
Flooding has caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people since 1900. Property damage from flooding now totals over $1 billion each year in the United States.
