Fernley, Nevada Levee Fails; 800 Homes Flooded
Written by C. Johnson, Internet News Producer
FERNLEY, NV (AP) -- A levee break in Nevada has sent freezing water into hundreds of homes, trapping 3,500 people.
Authorities said a 30-foot-wide section of the Truckee Canal broke around 5 Saturday morning in the town of Fernley on the eastern side of the Sierra.
The break prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for north central Lyon County in western Nevada until 10:15 a.m. PST.
About 3 feet of water filled about 800 homes in the town near Reno but nobody was hurt.
About 3,500 residents of the desert community are stranded but school buses have been brought in to take them to a shelter. Two helicopters from nearby Fallon Naval Air Station also are helping
make rescues.
The levee break occurred in freezing temperatures and followed a storm that dumped 4 to 6 inches of snow in the area.
Before the snow, a steady downpour on Friday produced a record amount of rain for January 4 in the Reno-Sparks area, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The National Weather Service reported 1.54 inches of rain at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, breaking a record 0.69 inches set in 1939.
Copyright 2008 News10/KXTv and The Associated Press . All Rights Reserved.
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