Last of flood warnings canceled

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

That's when the National Weather Service lifted its last warnings on the Truckee River. All other advisories ended earlier.

The two remaining warnings were from Lake Tahoe to Truckee, Calif., and from Sparks to Pyramid Lake.

The warnings went into effect on New Year's Day. The raging river damaged several homes below Tahoe City, Calif., and destroyed bridges that provided access to homeowners. It also swept through homes in the Lockwood area east of Reno.

Fed by the heavy rains and runoff, Tahoe rose above its legal limit on Jan. 2, even though federal Water Master Garry Stone had all 17 gates at the storage dam in Tahoe City wide open since Dec. 11.

Releases continued to lower the lake, prompting the flood warnings along the Truckee that expired today.

While the warnings are expiring, cleanup efforts and assistance programs are continuing. That includes the addition Thursday of Churchill and Mineral counties and Walker River Paiute tribal lands to Nevada jurisdictions eligible for federal disaster aid.

Other counties already eligible include Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Washoe.

Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state Disaster Recovery Task Force said additional centers will be opened this weekend in Reno and Gardnerville to help flood victims.

The new Reno center is at the Lawlor events center at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Gardnerville office is at the Tillman Center.