Icy roads create slippery commute in northern Nevada

Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006 | 8:56 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Heavy rain followed by snow turned to ice across northern Nevada early Tuesday, creating hazardous driving conditions and causing scores of accidents.

At least 20 accidents were reported in south Reno alone before daybreak, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

"It's a skating rink out there," said Trooper Eddie Bowers.

No major accidents or injuries were reported and by midmorning, the ice on main roadways had melted.

The wintry blast was good news, though, for residents and businesses along the Truckee and Carson Rivers, as cold temperatures slowed runoff from weekend rains and allowed flood waters to recede.

Damage assessments continued Tuesday in five counties struck by flooding on New Year's Eve.

"The water clearly has gone down, but there is still a lot of standing water" in some areas, said Adam Mayberry, spokesman for the city of Sparks. "It could have been significantly worse."

Most damage in Sparks occurred in industrial areas and was significantly less than in 1997, when the Truckee River overflowed on New Year's Day and caused $1 billion damage throughout Washoe County.

Preliminary damage assessments from weekend flooding were estimated at $1.3 million in Sparks; $2.8 million in Reno and $1.7 million in the county.

State officials planned an aerial tour Tuesday afternoon of Carson City, Washoe, Douglas, Storey and Lyon counties, said Kamala Carmazzi, deputy chief for the office of emergency management.

She said teams comprised of federal, state and local officials could begin documenting damage on the ground by Wednesday.

"It's the first step in the catalyst to requesting a presidential declaration," Carmazzi said.

The local governments all declared states of emergency over the weekend. The assessment teams will report to Gov. Kenny Guinn, who will then decide whether to declare an emergency at the state level and request federal disaster assistance.