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Reno Nevada Mud Slides

Slide closes Interstate 80 as rain swamps Nevada
Reno area hit by worst flooding since 1997
By Martin Griffith, Associated Press

RENO, Nev. — Rain and melting snow swamped northern Nevada on Saturday, shutting down roads, flooding businesses and causing scattered power outages in the Reno area's worst flooding since 1997. Mudslides closed major highways, including Interstate 80 about 25 miles west of Reno and Highway 89 near Truckee.

I-80 — the major corridor linking northern California and points east — was expected to remain closed for at least two days, said California Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Dinger.

"No work can be done until the slide stabilizes, and we don't know when that will occur," he said. "Certainly, I-80 could be closed for longer than two days."

Six truck rigs were caught in the I-80 mudslide early Saturday, but no injuries were reported. Officials said it will cost about $5 million to clean up the slide.

"We've had minor slides in that area, but nothing of this magnitude," Dinger said.

Up to 1-2 inches of rain on valley floors and 6-8 inches of rain in the Lake Tahoe area caused widespread flooding along the eastern Sierra, said Steve Frady, spokesman for the Regional Emergency Operations Center.

"It's pretty early right now to predict the extent of flood damage," Frady said.

The Truckee River swamped the basements of an undetermined number of buildings in downtown Reno — including the county courthouse annex and Masonic Lodge — after cresting Saturday afternoon at about 13.6 feet, 2.6 feet above flood stage.

The Truckee also briefly spilled onto a half-block section of First Street downtown until it receded.

The river also flooded an undetermined number of businesses downstream in the Sparks industrial area after cresting there at 19.2 feet, 4.2 feet above flood stage.

The crest was close to levels reached during a New Year's Day 1997 flood that caused $1billion in damages to northern Nevada.

Local officials were buoyed by forecasts calling for a lower snow level with the next storm that hit the region Saturday afternoon.

"It looks like we might have dodged a bullet. I think the worst is over," said Jane Hollingsworth, a National Weather Service forecaster in Reno.

Many downtown Reno businesses along the Truckee piled sandbags after closing for the day.

At the Antique Angel Wedding Chapel — whose slogan is "Get Married on the Beautiful Truckee River!" — the storm caused six postponements Saturday, owner Beverley VanDusseldorp said.

It also inconvenienced other weddings that went on as scheduled by keeping some party members home, she said.