Sunday night update: Flooding in Carson City, northern Nevada


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The rapid rise of the Carson River has begun and the National Weather Service in Reno (NWS) is predicting the Carson River will be above flood status sometime between 11 a.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday.

All nonessential state of Nevada employees are NOT to report to work Monday.

All non-emergency Carson City employees are NOT to report to work Monday.

The following Carson City agencies and facilities are closed Monday:

Blackwell Park

Brunswick Canyon Access

Carson City Hall

Carson City Health and Human Services

Carson City Library

Carson River Park

Empire Ranch Estates Park

Fuji Park and Carson City Fairgrounds

Multipurpose Athletic Center (MAC)

Mayor’s Park

Mills Park (includes Community Center and Aquatic Facility)

Morgan Mill Road access

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Administration office

Rifle and Pistol Range

Silver Saddle Ranch

Sports Complexes (Governor’s Field, Centennial Park and Pete Livermore)

In addition, all recreation programs including youth before and after school programs and youth camps are cancelled.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada will be open

The evacuation shelter at 411 S. Saliman is accepting residents who are experiencing flooding or loss of utilities and will operate for the next 24 hours, or as long as needed.

Flood hotline is 887-2355 and officials ask the public to use this number instead of 9-11 for non-emergency flood calls.

Flood information: carson.org/flood

Several areas around Carson City have been closed due to flood waters including:

Oakridge Drive

Morgan Mill Road between Empire Ranch Road and Deer Run Road

Curry Street between Lake Glenn Road and Rhodes Drive and Fermi Road.

OPEN BUT YOU SHOULD AVOID:

N. Carson Street between Winnie Lane and William Street

S. Carson Street between Stewart Street to Rhodes Drive

Fairview Drive from Roop to Saliman

Deer Run Bridge.

10:30 update from Lyon County:

9 p.m. Sunday story:

Carson City Fire Chief and Emergency Operations Manager Bob Schriehans said while there has been flooding on the roadway, Carson City has not had any water damage to homes or businesses. There’s also been no evacuations in Carson City.

“We realize there is a lot of water moving in the streets, but it is doing what it is supposed to do,” Schriehans said. “All of our crews with Public Works, the Fire Department and Nevada Division of Forestry are trying our best to limit flooding into homes and businesses.”

Over 600 hand crews from NDF have been working in Carson to help reduce the impact of the floods.

“Without that cooperation we couldn’t have been able to keep up on all the calls we got,” Schriehans said.

The EOC has been closely monitoring the Carson River levels. Between 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., the river went from 2100 cubic feet per square to 2300 cfs, said deputy emergency manager Stacy Belt. They estimate that by 2 a.m. Monday, the river will be up to 5,200 cfs and up to 9,000 cfs by Monday night.

At 4:45 p.m., it was reported that up to five inches of rain had fallen in the Sierras and the foothills of western Nevada. Moderate to heavy rain is expected throughout the night. At 9 p.m. Sunday, more than 1.5 inches of rain had been recorded at the Nevada Appeal’s weather station.

Several areas around Carson City have been closed due to flood waters including Oakridge Drive, Morgan Mill Road between Empire Ranch Road and Deer Run Road, Curry Street between Lake Glenn Road and Rhodes Drive and Fermi Road. The Emergency Operations Center also identified roads that are open but to avoid including N. Carson Street between Winnie Lane and William Street, S. Carson Street between Stewart Street to Rhodes Drive, Fairview Drive from Roop to Saliman and the Deer Run Bridge.

“We have had problem areas but we are working through them and allocating resources by priority into areas,” Schriehans said. “We haven’t had any major issues compared to Reno and Washoe.”

Because flood waters haven’t reached any residences, as of Sunday night, there were no residents utilizing the evacuation shelter.

The Carson City Emergency Operations Center has opened and an evacuation center has been established by the Red Cross in cooperation with the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS at 411 N. Saliman Road in Carson City (adjacent to Carson High School).

The EOC also has two alternative shelters in place if needed. Residents can self deploy to the shelter if they lost power or are experiencing flooding.

If you have any pets you need to bring to the shelter, the Nevada Humane Society will accept pets and take them to the shelter at 549 Airport Road. The Humane Society is open and will accept pets for those residents that need to evacuate.

Several Carson hotels have also offered discount rates for evacuation residents; the S. Carson Street Marriot Courtyard, the Hospitality Way Hampton Inn and the N. Carson Street Holiday Inn Express are all offering rates less than $100 not including tax. Residents must book in person or call the hotel to receive the rate.

One of the biggest problems the EOC is facing is drivers on the road during the flooding. Residents should stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, and should never try to drive through flooded streets.

“If you see large bodies of water over the road, for safety, please don’t go through them,” Schriehans said. “Especially if it is high speed running water, don’t go through. Just two feet of water can wash a car away. Just be smart about it.”

“For first responders, stalled or disabled vehicles will impede their ability to get to critical incidents where they are needed,” Stacy added.

Belt said they were prepared for a storm similar to this with their Emergency Management Planning,

“Our pre-planning has positioned us to be able to respond quickly and be fully staffed with trained personnel,” Belt said. “We are just fortunate to have fantastic residents in Carson City who are able to take care of themselves and their neighbors.”

Schriehans said the state is strained with resources and incidents.

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Carson responders were out all day and night beginning Sunday morning responded to calls and helping residents sandbag and assess flood possibilities. Schriehans said that throughout their next operation cycle through the night, they will continue to make sure drains are working and flowing water where they are supposed to. They will also be helping residents make sure their homes are best protected from floods.

A Flood Hotline has been designated for flood related reporting and questions, which are not life-threatening. The number is 887-2355 and officials ask the public to use this number instead of 9-11 for non-emergency flood calls.

The Emergency Operations Center encourages residents to visit www.carson.org/flood to stay up-to-date on the weather, road closures and resources that are deployed across the city. In addition, all official public information that is released from the Emergency Operations Center will be posted to the flood site.

••••

About 50 homes in the old portion of Aspen Mobile Home Park off Centerville in Gardnerville were evacuated after the East Fork of the Carson River crested its banks 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Residents were directed to the gym side of the Douglas County Community Center, according to broadcast reports.

East Fork Fire District and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office personnel went door to door to alert residents of the evacuations.

The mobile home park is located next to the river.

Another 20 homes have been identified as requiring evacuation near the river in Gardnerville. Kingslane Mobile Home Park will also be subject to evacuation.

For more from Douglas County go here or here

•••

Officials expect the Truckee Rive in Reno to flood Sunday night around 11 p.m., Schriehans said.

They are also planning to evacuate 1,500 Washoe residents Sunday night. Twelve power outages were also reported in Washoe County, leaving 1,019 residents without power, according to NV Energy. One outage was reported in Lyon County leaving six residents without power.

Mudslides on Highway 80, Deer Run Road and other areas around Lake Tahoe has been causing issues for first responders and has created issues getting supplies and crews down to necessary areas.

A wet winter storm in the Sierra has triggered mudslides closing parts of major highways north and west of Lake Tahoe, and shut down dozens of roads in the Reno-Tahoe area where flooding has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes.

More than 1,000 residents voluntarily evacuated one south Reno neighborhood where drainage ditches started overflowing early Sunday afternoon.

All westbound lanes of Interstate 80 near Donner Lake west of Truckee, California were closed indefinitely Sunday night because of a large mudslide. The westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 50 near Kyburz also were blocked.

Washoe County spokeswoman Nancy Leuenhagen said nearly 400 dwellings had been evacuated in the Reno area and hundreds of people were expected to be housed overnight in emergency shelters.

Reno police have closed all bridges crossing the Truckee River in the downtown casino district.

Nearly 5 inches of rain has fallen in the Galena Creek area southwest of Reno and more than 4 inches north of town.

The worst is expected during the Monday morning commute along the I-80 corridor between Reno and Sparks, where the Truckee River is expected to crest about 10 feet above flood stage.

The University of Nevada, Reno and all area schools canceled classes Monday. Gov. Brian Sandoval is urging all non-essential state employees impacted by the flood to stay home.

••••

The flooding also impacts several areas in Storey County.

Road closures in effect include: Six Mile Canyon Road, Sam Clemens and Sutro Springs in Mark Twain, and Canyon Way south of LCC in Lockwood.

Crews are continuing to sandbag in Lockwood and Mark Twain and are assisting senior.

The Storey County Emergency Coordinating Center is also fully active.

Bridge closures may occur at Lockwood, Mustang and Painted Rock between 6PM Sunday and 4AM Monday. No bridge closures planned at this time.

School district announced Monday school closures.

Send non-emergency questions/concerns to hotline: NVFlood17@storeycounty.org. Call 775-847-INFO (4636) for updates.

•••••

The following areas in Dayton are flooded due to debris and snow clogging local drainage: Branstetter Avenue at Six Mile Canyon Road; V & T Way off of Branstetter Avenue; Grosh Avenue and Sheep Camp Road; Champions Road; Mark Twain Way; Rose Peak Road between Pine Cone Road and Flowery Avenue.

Highway 342 has also been closed at the Y in Silver City.

Lyon County Manager Jeff Page said crews are working to relieve the blockage of water in these areas, both with hand crews and heavy equipment. Citizens should try and avoid driving in these areas.

Eight structures have been confirmed damaged in Lyon County with 200 to 400 more properties threatened. One home was reported in Stagecoach with water in the basement and an 8-plex in Dayton reported to have water on the first floor of homes.

Several schools are scheduled to be closed Monday including Dayton High School, Dayton Intermediate School, Dayton Elementary School, Sutro Elementary School and Riverview Elementary School.

The Lyon County Emergency Coordination Center has been partially activated to direct efforts of relieve flooding situations and to coordinate activities with the State Emergency Operations Centers and surrounding counties.

••••

Compiled by Nevada Appeal staff with assistance from The Record-Courier, the Lahontan Valley News, the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the Associated Press and city, county and regional entities.