Gusts cause power losses across valley

Heather Rawlyk

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 10:52 a.m.

Tuesday's winds caused power outages and the leading edge of the gusts that arrived Monday are being blamed for the death of a California man at Lake Mead, authorities said.

The valley was buffeted Tuesday night by gusts of up to 60 mph that knocked out power for about 3,000 Nevada Power customers, including the Community College of Southern Nevada and the North Las Vegas City Hall campus, around 10:10 p.m., Sonya Headen, a Nevada Power spokeswoman, said.

Throughout the valley lights flickered on and off due to wind, she said.

Power wasn't restored in North Las Vegas, the hardest-hit area, until about 1:30 a.m., Headen said.

Metro Police Lt. Tadd Dodds said power lines were down in several places around the valley, with most of the damage around downtown North Las Vegas and east and west of there.

A cold front coming from the north brought the strongest of the wind gusts into the area between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tuesday, National Weather Service Meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

Winds gusting to 25 mph were expected until around noon today, and they should have died down by the afternoon, he said.

Headen said the areas hit by the power outage included Pecos Road from Las Vegas Boulevard to Trout Lake Avenue and a heavily residential area bordered by Carroll Street, Pecos Road, Las Vegas Boulevard and Lake Mead Boulevard.

Wind is also being blamed for a capsizing a boat on Lake Mead on Monday, resulting in the drowning death of a 24-year-old Whittier, Calif. man.

The body of Derrick R. Diltz was found Tuesday morning by National Park Service rangers in Lake Mead near Cormorant Rock.

Diltz was in the Las Vegas area with members of a church group, officials said. He and another man attempted to sail a boat Monday morning but it became swamped with water due to the high winds, park service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said. Diltz and his friend used flotation devices and tried to stay with the boat.

Diltz saw a houseboat that members of his church group had rented and began swimming toward it, but apparently drowned, Dey said.

Members of Diltz's group called authorities Monday night but due to severe winds, rangers weren't able to search for Diltz until Tuesday morning.

Sun reporter

Jen Lawson contributed to this story.