Mount Charleston residents struggle as flood repairs continue
The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that because of flooding damage and cleanup, the closure order for the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area has been extended indefinitely.
“Please don’t go up there — let responders do the necessary work to help residents and make repairs,” the agency said on X.
In other developments, crews from NV Energy have restored power to the remaining subdivisions of Mount Charleston, just ahead of another storm.
Old Town residents Katie and Sean Reeh described rapids in front of their home Sunday night that left them on an island by Monday morning.
The family had food, water and a generator on hand but they were unable to use their vehicle until NV Energy built a temporary road. That allowed their three boys, ages 12, 9 and 4, to go and stay with their grandparents.
“It’s been a pretty harrowing experience,” Sean Reeh said.
Elementary school closed
The Reeh family plans to stay at their home as they take care of four dogs and 10 chickens. They’ve been told that they could be without water for months, and Lundy Elementary School, located 100 yards from their home, is closed indefinitely.
This could result in their children being bused 40 minutes away to a school in Indian Springs.
“A lot of them are not happy with that,” Katie Reeh said of herself and other parents.
All residents of Old Town and Echo in Kyle Canyon had power as of Thursday morning, according to a release from NV Energy. Power and water were turned off Monday to about 150 residents after Tropical Storm Hilary dumped 8 inches of rain over the weekend.
The Reehs said their power was restored around 10 p.m. Wednesday, but it has cut in and out since.
“In the coming days, crews will remain in the area, making sure that power continues to flow and that our infrastructure is secure and running as intended,” NV Energy wrote in the release. “We will continue work to remove vegetation, trees and branches that pose a threat to our lines or other equipment.”
Anyone still without power can contact the company at 702-402-5555.
No timeline yet for road
The Nevada Department of Transportation wrote in a statement Thursday that it did not know when Kyle Canyon Road would reopen after chunks of road washed away in the storm. State route 158, also known as Deer Creek Road, which connects Lee Canyon and Kyle Canyon roads, also sustained “significant damage.”
“We are currently in talks with contractors about performing emergency repairs and our maintenance crews are out in full force shoring up roads wherever possible and installing temporary barrier rails where needed,” wrote NDOT spokesperson Justin Hopkins.
Emergency vehicles and residents of the subdivisions can use the roads, Hopkins wrote.
Echo subdivision resident Brenda Talley wrote in a message that she and her neighbors are asked to go out only between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. to avoid disrupting road work. Forest areas and trails remained closed to residents, she said.
“Old Town school, library and the VFD volunteer fire department building are all being assessed for major damage they received,” she wrote.
Residents were ordered to continue boiling water until further notice, and bottled water was being given away at the Retreat on Charleston Peak.
“We are most grateful that the damage done was only to a few homes and there was no loss of life with the river that crashed through our neighborhood,” she wrote.
Lundy Elementary School Principal Christopher Welch wrote in a statement to parents that the school would be closed through at least Friday. The Clark County School District was working on alternative ways to teach the children.
Lee Canyon
Lee Canyon announced Thursday that it has ended its summer mountain operations amid the closure of the Spring Mountains after Hilary brought heavy rainfall and flooding.
The storm left “significant damage” to the resort’s infrastructure, and the area’s trails, chairlifts and other facilities have “borne the brunt” of the damage, the resort said in a news release.
The storm dropped 9.8 inches of rain on Lee Canyon, the resort said.
The resort said it would continue to prepare for the winter season and work on its Ponderosa chairlift expansion project that would add a new quad chairlift for beginner skiers and snowboarders.
“Thank you for your understanding during this challenging time. We eagerly await the opportunity to welcome you back this winter, and if conditions allow, in a limited capacity this fall,” the resort said.
Downhill mountain bike park day and season pass holders will be contacted with information on how to proceed.
Another storm is expected to roll over the Spring Mountains Thursday afternoon, dropping about a half-inch of rain, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Berc. There is a smaller chance of storms in Henderson beginning around 2 p.m.
“The more likely scenario is we’ll see more storms up in the mountains,” Berc said. “I can’t rule out some in the valley too.”
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on X. Review-Journal staff writer David Wilson contributed to this report.
