Nye County manager issues emergency declaration after storm damage

Pahrump is still reeling from the last two days of storms as crews work to assess damage.

Nye County Manager Tim Sutton issued a Declaration of Existence of Local Emergency on Tuesday. In the declaration, Sutton said the county experienced damaging winds Sunday evening, leaving homes, public buildings and roads in disarray.

He asked for state and federal assistance to help the county recover. The declaration will go before the County Commission next week for ratification.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that Pahrump received 2.3 inches of rain in the storms Sunday and Monday — more than any other region in Southern Nevada, Southern California or Northern Arizona, according to weather service totals.

The highest wind gust recorded in the area was 78 mph Sunday night near Pahrump Valley High School, according to meteorologist Barry Pierce.

Nye County said in a statement Tuesday that the Pahrump Community Pool will be closed until further notice due to damage from the storms.

“The pool has been flooded with mud water that will have to be removed and the pump system cleaned,” county spokesman Arnold Knightly said in the statement. “Projection is that it may be reopened mid-August.”

Throughout the county, Public Works crews were focused on clearing areas that provide access to businesses and residential areas. Flooding forced officials to close all public buildings and offices Monday afternoon in Pahrump.

Residents may report damage to Public Works at 775-751-6262.

One area of town that was hit particularly hard by Sunday’s winds was Discovery Park, where a large number of sizable trees displayed shattered branches or were ripped up by their roots and lay on the ground.

Tom Oakley, communications and public relations director for Great Basin Water Co., the owner of Discovery Park, asked residents “to refrain from entering the park for their own safety.”

“We will be making a complete assessment over the next couple of days and will provide more information once the extent of the necessary remediation is fully understood,” he added.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter. Pahrump Valley Times staff writer Robin Hebrock contributed to this report.