Similar to Florida’s “Evacuation Route” signs along Pinellas County, Las Vegas has signage with “Flash Flood” warnings. You wonder how often and how far-reaching these will be. I remember watching a TV show about a flash flood in Vegas where people were trapped in their cars.
So, yesterday, I experienced my first flash flood. First, I heard thunder and recalled how I had lived in the “Lightning Capital of the World” in Florida, and I figured it wouldn’t be too bad. Then the rain came. Used to pouring rains in Florida, I didn’t give it another thought. In fact, I decided it was time to take a break from my freelance work and rest on the bed with the cats.
Soon after, I heard a loud whoosh that I couldn’t ignore. I peeked out the bedroom window and saw water rushing down from the nearby mountains beginning to flood the street behind our house.
Wondering how bad this might get, I noticed my neighbor in his backyard and I went out to talk to him. (He gave me a tour of his brand-new pool at the same time.) Thankfully, he’s home during the day (night-time bartender) and a native to Las Vegas so he could fill me in on what to expect.
He said we were both lucky we had chosen the houses we had. He and his wife had looked at the house on the left side of the “canal” and we had first looked at the house on the right side of ther “canal” down the street. At first, we both had the same idea - if you live next to the canal, you’ll only have one neighbor, but then we each dismissed those houses - that canal is there for a reason and what happens during a flash flood? Yep, those people were a bit flooded. You can see the flooded street in front of those houses in the pic below.
By the end of the day, the rain had stopped and the water had receded, leaving a big muddy mess. This morning somebody - the city, perhaps - is cleaning up the mess. And while I doubt we’ll put in a backyard pool, this does tell me I want to pave over the backyard. Cement seems better than mud right now.
From earthquakes to tornadoes to hurricanes and now a flash flood. What an interesting life!
Posted in Las Vegas






