A flood channel is shown at the Tropicana Detention Basin near Decatur Boulevard and Oquendo Road Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 | 2 a.m.
The brief rainstorm that swept through the Anthem area of Henderson Tuesday might have come as a welcome relief for residents in the area, but it also served as a reminder that the monsoon season — and its associated dangers — is upon us.
The rain — a gauge near Aventura Park measured .31 of an inch — came the same day that the Clark County Regional Flood Control District and National Weather Service issued its annual reminder to residents about staying safe during downpours.
“These storms are not only impressive, but deadly,” said Chris Outler, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office during a Tuesday event about flood awareness. “I want to remind everyone that it only takes one big storm to leave behind a lasting impact, so stay weather aware through the summer months and take those days with thunderstorms in the forecast seriously.”
The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) links flash flooding to “heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than six hours” and can be “characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains that rip through river beds, urban streets or mountain canyons.” Flash floods can happen within minutes or even a few hours of severe storms, FEMA added.
At least 35 people have died as a result of flooding since 1960 in Southern Nevada, with three such deaths reported last year alone.
Two of those who died were homeless people living in flood channels that were swept away by a flash flood, and the third was a 13-year-old boy that was inner tubing down a flooded street when he was pinned under a parked car and drowned, said Steven Parrish, general manager and chief engineer at the flood district.
As little as 6 inches of water can knock a person off their feet, Outler said.
Monsoon season typically begins in July and ends in September, with the potential to create floods across Southern Nevada, but especially in areas like the mountains or neighborhoods with flood channels going through them. It’s why flood channels and basins are so important.
Since its inception about 40 years ago, the flood control district has invested $2.5 billion into building 110 detention basins, 713 total miles of flood channels and 222 real-time rain gauges, it said.
The Tropicana Detention Basin was pivotal during last year’s monsoon season, said Clark County Commission Justin Jones, who sits as the chair of Regional Flood Control District.
Sitting off South Decatur Boulevard, the basin protects areas like Allegiant Stadium, the nearby railways, the Las Vegas Strip, Harry Reid International Airport and UNLV from flooding.
The $7 million project was completed in 1998 and part of a larger $335 million Tropicana/Flamingo United States Army Corps of Engineers Project that consists of five detention basins, three debris basins, 28 miles of primary channels and a network of lateral collector channels, the flood district said.
Jones said the Tropicana Detention Basin protected “downstream businesses, the community and the Las Vegas Strip from flooding.”
“The facilities that have been built in Las Vegas, that are in place as Commissioner Jones mentioned … those facilities did their job; they captured that water, carried it through the city and got it safely out to Lake Mead,” Parrish said. “There are areas, though, (where) we have more work to do … those areas are still vulnerable … but we can’t build everything at once, we’re doing the best we can to get all these facilities constructed.”
Flooding touches all parts of the region.
In August of last year, 51 people were evacuated from flash flooding in Mount Charleston in Tropical Storm Hilary’s aftermath. Residents in around 400 households in the Mount Charleston area experienced power outages and were placed under a boil-water order.
The only road in and out of the region had been eroded by extreme flooding from the nearby seasonal stream that runs along Kyle Canyon Road, said Brian O’Neal, assistant chief with the Clark County Fire Department.
Earl B. Lundy Elementary School, Mount Charleston’s only educational building, was also hit with an 11-foot-deep crater in the parking lot that is threatening the building’s foundation and destroying its septic system, according to engineers who inspected the property after the storm.
The Clark County School District has since recommended closing the two-room schoolhouse, which opened in 1966 and served between 11 and 13 students during the 2022-23 school year. The CCSD school board is set to consider the recommendation at a meeting Thursday.
Weather patterns are indicating a slightly weaker monsoon season this year, Outler said. The record-levels of heat in June don’t necessarily mean the monsoon season will be more active.
An average monsoon season in Las Vegas could bring “a handful of days each month where we get thunderstorms and we see flash flooding in the area,” but Outler said the nature of Southern Nevada’s storms were usually “hit or miss.”
Outler emphasized that people should not be trying to play or trudge through floodwaters, which could be filled with mud, debris, toxins and other harmful materials.
During a storm event, Parrish said people should attempt to shelter in place to decrease their risk of being caught in an “unforgiving” flash flood. “The safest place for you to be is in a building,” he said, and those on the road should pull off where they can and wait out the storm in a building.
O’Neal also encouraged residents in flood zones or areas more susceptible to flooding to prepare themselves by always ensuring they have ample supplies of bottled water, canned food and a plan in case electricity goes out or medically vulnerable individuals need to be evacuated.
Social media pages of local emergency services — like the National Weather Service or Clark County — and news agencies are one of the best ways to get information about flash flooding, he added.
“The summer monsoon is a fascinating time of year with our intense rounds of heat interrupted by impressive cloudscapes and dramatic lightning displays, but for all its beauty, respect its power,” Outler said on Tuesday. “Don’t ever gamble on your safety here in Las Vegas. When floodwaters strike, turn around, don’t drown.”
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