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On August 21st, residents of Mount Charleston were startled from their sleep to learn about a roaring flash flood going through their community. According to residents, many were alerted by phone calls from other neighbors rather than a widespread alert.
Unfortunately, this meant that most of the community was scrambling to move cars, throw sandbags around their homes, and evacuate when necessary. Some residents were not able to get alerted in time to escape, so they were forced to wait the flood out at home.
The National Weather Service reported that about 6-10 inches of rainfall were received at higher elevations like the upper Spring Mountain range. Lower elevations only received about 2-4 inches, but that was still enough to cause flash floods in certain neighborhoods.
Overall, 51 people needed to evacuate from Mount Charleston on August 21. Others remained in their homes. After analyzing the damage, the community found that several main roadways to the park were destroyed, so the park will remain closed until at least October. The local school was also damaged and remains empty. Currently, the community is unsure when the school will reopen.
Power was restored a few days after the flooding, but most homes in Mount Charleston still do not have water. Nevada Energy helped residents in Mount Charleston cope with the flooding by building a makeshift bridge. This bridge helped residents remove debris and pull several vehicles out from the trenches. Many residents have expressed their gratitude to the energy provider for going above and beyond to help the community.
Do Residents Have any Recourse After a Flash Flood?
No one wants to lose their property as a result of extreme weather patterns. Unfortunately, the number of Americans struggling with weather-induced property damage and loss is growing. In fact, extreme weather impacted more than one in ten American homes in 2021 alone.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get compensation for your losses.
If you currently own an insurance policy, then that should be your first consideration. Depending on the type of weather event and your coverage, you may be able to seek entire coverage from your insurance provider.
For the most part, though, those impacted by flash floods won’t have any type of help from insurance policies. In these circumstances, it might be worth a homeowner’s time and effort to investigate whether negligence on the part of your local officials contributed to the extent of your losses. For instance, in the emergency flood outlined above, local emergency officials failed to warn residents about the dangers of the storm. As a result, many residents found themselves trapped by a flash flood at 2 A.M. Instead of being notified by an alert system, residents had to rely on neighbors calling their phones.
When negligence contributes to or causes an accident, there might be legal recourse depending on whether a legal duty of care existed in your situation. To learn more about your potential options after a loss, it’s best to consult with an attorney.
If you’ve found yourself in a similar circumstance, then we invite you to contact us to learn more about your options moving forward.
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