RENO, Nev., Jan. 9 (UPI) — Nevada officials said they evacuated more than 1,300 homes in Reno after the Truckee River overflowed and threatened the worst flooding in a decade.
Heavy rains caused the river, which passes through downtown Reno, to rise above its banks on Sunday. Drainage ditches overflowed in the city, and there were mudslides in northern California, where the Truckee, Merced, American and Russian rivers were swollen by the rain.
Reno was under a flood watch until Tuesday, authorities in Washoe County reported. Neighboring Lynn County reported eight structures were damaged, and 200 to 400 homes remain threatened by the flooding. Officials closed roads in six Nevada counties. Temperatures in the Reno area were in the 40s on Sunday, and rain and melting snow caused small streams to reach flood stage.
REMSA, the regional emergency service authority aligned with the University of Nevada, reported no flood-related injuries thus far.
School officials in Washoe County, which includes Reno, canceled classes at all schools Monday, the first day after a winter break. Some government operations in nearby Carson City, the state capital, also shuttered.
The flooding was caused by a winter storm striking Northern California and adjacent vicinities, with another storm expected Monday evening. On Sunday the Napa River overflowed its banks, fallen trees blocked roads and caused property damage in the San Francisco area and stranded drivers were rescued from vehicles.
