Vegas Hit By Heavy Rain, Channel Waters Carry Away Pedestrians

Posted on: August 25, 2023, 12:39h. 

Last updated on: August 25, 2023, 12:39h.

A hazardous rainstorm led to damaged casinos and dangerous conditions in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Some buildings near the Las Vegas Strip got flooded after ceilings tiles collapsed.

Harrah’s Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, and Topgolf were among those impacted by the storm, according to initial reports from Las Vegas Issues and local TV station KSNV.

Caesars Entertainment confirmed ceiling tiles were damaged at the two casinos, KSNV added. The ceilings did not collapse as initially reported.

Local roadways were flooded, as well.

Half-Dozen Channel Victims

Also, up to a half-dozen people reportedly got trapped in swift moving current inside channels in Las Vegas. None were reported to have died but most were still unaccounted for as of Thursday.

One incident took place at Koval Lane between Flamingo Road and Sands Avenue. A man and a woman were seen getting carried downstream by the current while they were in a wash, Las Vegas TV station KLAS reported. An unconfirmed report said the couple were able to get themselves out of the channel.

Another victim was believed to have been caught by the fast-moving water.

Still another person was rescued by firefighters from a channel at the site, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Lt. Miguel Ibarra told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

A second incident involved a man at a channel near Nellis Boulevard between Sahara Avenue and Vegas Valley Drive.

Clark County firefighters, LVMPD officers, and EMTs from an ambulance company took part in the search for the victims. A LVMPD helicopter provided light to assist rescuers, KLAS reported.

Clark County Fire Department said it sent 28 personnel to the two channel sites. Five engines, one heavy rescue, one rescue, and two battalion chiefs responded.

Dangerous Conditions

“The water in Clark County’s storm drains and washes moves at an alarming and dangerous rate and many times without warning,” Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Thomas Touchstone said in a statement quoted by the Review Journal.

Victims can be carried downstream faster than emergency responders receive the call and have the opportunity to react. After storm water moves through washes, the debris piles remaining are extensive and reveal areas where a victim moving in the water could have been caught and hidden from crews searching during the event or afterwards.”

Pedestrians should never enter washes and storm drains whatever the weather, Touchstone added.

Vegas update: The ceilings at Harrah’s have collapsed from the rain. pic.twitter.com/Y3QosG2jCa

— Las Vegas Issues (@VegasIssues) August 24, 2023