Guinn tours damage, plans to ask for federal aid

Jace Radke

Friday, July 9, 1999 | 10:42 a.m.

After getting an aerial view of the devastation caused by the Thursday's floods, Gov. Kenny Guinn says he will be asking for some help.

"From what I saw we will be asking for federal aid," Guinn said. "We are still assessing the damage, but this is the worst I've seen in my 35 years here."

Guinn was joined at the airport by Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who said that the county is asking for aid from the state which will get the ball rolling toward federal help, Guinn said.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency Thursday afternoon and notified them of the severe flooding. FEMA's regional office in San Francisco has been alerted and their staff put on standby for possible assistance to Clark County, Bryan said.

Guinn, who saw the damage with Sheriff Jerry Keller in a Metro Search and Rescue helicopter, confirmed that the eastern part of the valley was hit the hardest.

"The damage in the east was pretty extensive with the areas around the Flamingo Wash being hit the hardest," Guinn said. "The basins did their jobs and the construction going on for the beltway in the northwest actually collected a lot of water that would have hit Summerlin."

Guinn said meetings between the state's damage assessment teams, Las Vegas and Clark County officials will take place to determine the full scope of the damage.

"We have to go through the process and file the papers, and getting a damage assessment done is the first step," Guinn said.