Heavy flooding in Pahrump forces public offices, SR 160 to close

A storm system in Pahrump early Monday dumped a heavy downpour that flooded much of the Nye County town.

The substantial flooding forced officials to close all public buildings and offices, according to a Nye County news release.

State Route 160 also briefly closed at U.S. 95 late Monday because of flooding. The roadway saw some of the worst area flooding Monday, along with Calvada Boulevard, Dandelion Street and Homestead Road, according to the county.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office advised drivers to stay off the roads and turn around if confronted with flooding. The agency shared images Monday afternoon that showed both major and residential roadways submerged with murky, flowing water as rain continued to pour.

It was the second set of storms to hit Pahrump in less than 24 hours.

Heavy rain and high winds late Sunday ripped the roofs off some structures and snapped trees, according to the National Weather Service.

Sharon McDonald said that in her 26 years in Pahrump, she had never seen such severe storms. Her 24-year-old pine tree blew over late Sunday and blocked her front door, leaving her locked inside her home, which lost power.

“It was scary, because you could hear the trees scraping on the house and the roof,” McDonald said, calling it a “miserable night.”

McDonald said the wind also damaged her garage door, which now won’t open. Rescue crews on Monday helped cut down her tree so she could open her front door. Looking forward, she is not sure where to start with cleanup.

“It’s going to be a very expensive thing because I don’t think my insurance is going to cover the trees,” she said. “Lots of work to be done.”

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer James Schaeffer contributed to this report.