Storm damage assessments continue in Nye

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Station One and other local government buildings were not spared by floodwaters during the historic July 26 storm, where nearly two inches of rain fell within an approximate two-and-a-half-hour time period.

The deluge, according to Fire Chief Scott Lewis was more than half of the annual rainfall Pahrump receives annually, which caused an adjacent building at Fire Station One on Highway 160, to become flooded and remains unoccupied until repairs are completed.

Lewis also said his department was met with numerous service calls from residents concerned about the structural soundness of their homes during the height of the rain and wind storms last month.

“We were dispatched for numerous incidences that were related to downed trees, roofs being blown off, and other structure-related damages to residential single-family homes as well as apartment buildings,” he said. “We also had commercial flat roofs and other materials that were lifted and thrown into parking lots. We also had numerous ceramic tiles that were blown off roofs, damaging vehicles, and other personal property. Several government buildings had some kind of water damage. The tourism office is closed due to floodwaters, as well as the community pool, which is still closed due to floodwaters. The pump house sustained significant water damage in the well where the pump is installed.”

Swept away

Though Lewis said no significant injuries were reported throughout the storm event, fire crews, emergency management personnel, and the Nye County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to dozens of water rescues for motorists whose vehicles stalled or broke down after becoming inundated with fast-moving waters on July 26.

“Some of the vehicles were being swept down the road, while others simply became stalled and they needed rescue, so it was just a whole host of issues,” he said. “We had numerous fire responses for structural damage assessments and making sure that the power lines and subsequent electrical-related issues were checked out for safety reasons. Crews from Valley Electric Association did a great job in their response. We completed the last water rescue assignment, without incident later that evening.”

Assessing damages

Lewis also spoke about what he witnessed while performing property damage assessments into the evening hours.

“What was truly amazing was that many of the driveways that connect the hard surface road to the properties were washed out,” he said. “If we had medical incidents or structure fires that required us to go over those areas, traversing the water, we wouldn’t have seen that they were washed out, and some of those washouts exceeded a depth of five feet, so they didn’t become visible to us until the waters receded to a point where we can see where the hazards were. As bad as it was, it could have been much worse from that perspective. We did have a bicyclist, who was significantly injured when they came across an opening in the road surface from the rain that undermined the road. That patient was subsequently treated and transported by Mercy Air and flown to UMC Trauma.”

Working together

Lewis also praised the efforts of other area agencies for their respective responses both during and in the aftermath of the storms.

“Our public works quickly snapped into action and started removing debris from the roadways and making sure that they were passable for emergency responders,” he said. “The state has been very proactive in their response and they had two separate property damage assessment teams down with us, going over and looking at exactly what they could possibly help us with. NDOT has been diligently working on restoring the shoulders on the road surfaces for almost 30 miles of Highway 160 through Pahrump, extending up to the Crystal area and beyond. Again, I can’t say enough about the town and county responses because they did an awesome job.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes