Dust storms, downed power lines part of wild weather day in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Wild weather brought dust storms and downed power lines in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Just after 1 a.m. NV Energy report a little over six thousand customers remain without power, while about 14,000 have had their services restored.
Around 7 p.m. officials said, 50 power poles were damaged by wind gusts of up to 70 MPH.
NV Energy has called additional crews out to respond to issues across the valley.
Clark County officials report they are working in partnership with NV Energy to identify resources they can offer to those impacted.
Just before 4 p.m., the National Weather Service issues a dust storm warning for central Clark County. That warning came as high winds were reported across the area, with NWS officials saying winds of up to 60 mph could be expected throughout the day.
Photos show a dust storm near Cactus Avenue and South Valley View Boulevard in Las Vegas
As the warning was issued, witnesses near Cactus Avenue and Valley View Boulevard experienced a dust storm in that area.
The warning follows reports of downed power lines near the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Atlantic Street in Las Vegas.
Downed power lines near Eastern and Sahara causes mass power outage.
On Tuesday afternoon, Clark County Fire Department officials and police were in the area, closing off affected areas at the intersection.
As of 4 p.m., there were 232 power outages reported in Clark County, with more than 27,000 customers affected, according to NV Energy. The number of customers affected has varied since reports of outages began earlier in the afternoon.
Crews tell FOX5 that around 30 power poles were damaged along a one mile stretch of Tropicana Avenue from Sandhill Road to Eastern Avenue. The road remains closed overnight.
Full repairs to the area will take weeks, NV Energy crew members tell FOX5.
Major box stores and small businesses were forced to shut down along the stretch.
“Devastating. Our restaurant full of food that we just got. I know we’re going to lose it all,“ said a man who runs Chapala Mexican Restaurant. People aren’t going to get paid. I was crying a little while ago,” he said.
Many residents weren’t allowed to walk home due to hazards from downed power lines.
Various residents were trying to come up with a plan after hours without A/C.
“Just worried about our refrigerator because I have a lot of food in the fridge right now and I have animals too. We’ve never had an outage that was out this long,” said resident Muriel Cyrus.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX5 for more information as it becomes available.
