From Douglas County:
Douglas County is responding to the most recent flash flood which occurred on August 11, 2014, in the Stephanie Lane in Minden, Nevada and in the Fish Springs area of Gardnerville, NV. Douglas County Road Crews, Private Contractors, Douglas County Sheriff and East Fork Fire are all out responding and accessing damages incurred by the accumulative flash floods for state damage assessment reporting occurring on Wednesday August 13, 2014. The County will be working with the state damage assessment teams (START) to determine the amount of damage to public infrastructure as well as attempting to determine private property damage following state and FEMA damage assessment criteria.
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The START team members talk to as many residents as possible to ensure detailed assessments are made. Even when the damage may not seem apparent, the team is looking for all types and signs of damage, such as water lines from flooding, damaged roof and windows, and damage to doors and windows. Along with assessing the damages that affected individuals within a community, START will also assess the impact of the incident on public infrastructure. The goal is to complete the assessments efficiently and thoroughly to ensure the teams have captured the total impact to the communities and determine if it meets the federal threshold for federal funding.
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A public Douglas County flash flood hotline (775)782-9993 and email address
flood@co.douglas.nv.us have been set up for residents to report damages for the state assessment. Please leave a detailed message with your name, contact information and address for damage assessment.
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The following resources are out assisting the public and working through-out different areas in Douglas County:
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Douglas County Maintenance Department
               2 Grader                                             Fish Springs Area
               2 Loaders                                            Johnson Lane Area
               1 Broom Truck                                   Johnson Lane Area
               2 Bottom Dumps                                Johnson Lane Area
               1 Back Hoe                                        Johnson Lane Area
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A&A Construction
               2 Loaders                                            Johnson Lane Area
               2 Dump Trucks                                  Johnson Lane Area
               1 Grader                                             Johnson Lane Area
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Crocket Engineering                                    Â
               1 Grader                                             Johnson Lane Area
               1 Loader                                             Johnson Lane Area
               1 End Dumps                                     Johnson Lane Area
               2 Loader                                             Fish Springs
               3 End Dumps                                     Fish Springs
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Curtis &Sons Construction
               3 End Dumps                                     Fish Springs Area
               1 Loader                                             Fish Springs Area
               1 Grader                                                        Fish Springs Area
Gardnerville Town
               1 Street Sweeper                                Johnson Lane
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Town of Minden           Â
               1 Street Sweeper                                Johnson Lane
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If you have significant flood damage on your street or culvert please call Public Works (775)783-6480 and they will respond to your inquiry in order of severity.
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Currently, the Douglas County Emergency Reverse 911 system is down due to an unexpected failure of the system. The County has a tentative August 15, 2014, date for restoration of the system. The National Weather Service issues appropriate warnings from their radar system and the Emergency Broadcast System.  If Douglas County needed to issue evacuation notices the Emergency Alert System would be activated. Tentative weather forecasts indicate that additional thunderstorms are forecasted for the next several days.
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Residents in flood prone areas are encouraged to monitor the daily forecasts.
Some safety Tips for Flash Flooding:
•            Flash flood waves, moving at incredible speeds, can roll boulders, tear out trees, destroy buildings and bridges, and scour out new channels. Killing walls of water can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet. You will not always have warning that these sudden floods are coming.
•            Most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway. Flood waters are usually deeper than they appear. The road bed may not be intact under the water. Just one foot of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep vehicles off the road. If the vehicle stalls, abandon it immediately and seek higher ground. Rapidly rising water may engulf the vehicle and its occupants and sweep them away
•            Do not hike rivers and especially slot canyons while flash flood warnings are in place
•            Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers
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If you think your well head has gone below the level of the water and contaminated your well site, please contact:
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Nevada State Health Laboratories
1660 North Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89503
(775) 688-1335
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Should any resident have issues with sewer contamination or septic system exposure, please contact the Douglas County Building Department, Valerie Nunes at: (775)782- 6222.
The debris sites at all three locations will remain open until further notice.
From Douglas County
