Commission declares a state of emergency in valley

Sonya Padgett

Friday, July 9, 1999 | 6:45 a.m.

The Clark County Commission declared a state of emergency for the county and Las Vegas at a special meeting Friday in response to the damage caused by Thursday's thunderstorm and flooding.

The declaration paves the way for the county to receive federal assistance.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are expected to arrive in Las Vegas Monday afternoon and then tour the ravaged areas of the valley Tuesday, said Frank Siracusa, director of the State of Nevada Emergency Management.

The quick response of city and county agencies to the flood impressed Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D. Nev. She pledged to do everything in her power to help secure federal funds for the cleanup.

Berkley was in town because she wanted to see first-hand the damage caused by the storm.

"I've never seen a better response (and) I've never been more proud" of all agencies involved, Berkley said.

Officials from state, county and local governments, who have been surveying the area, briefed the commission on the extent of damage across the valley.

As of Friday, only unincorporated parts of Clark County had been assessed, Public Works director Marty Manning said. Damage to roads in those areas is estimated at $2.5 million.

Much of the damage, including that in the northwest, still needs to be assessed. Manning said traffic signal and street damage has been noted around the valley, but the extent of the destruction is not yet known.

"We think there's at least another week of this," he said.