Multiple people have been swept away in flash flooding after heavy rainfall and lightning strikes turned the famous Las Vegas Strip into a river, causing damage to buildings.
On Thursday morning, police officers responded to several calls regarding people washed away by floodwater, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.
One woman was still missing, but a woman had already been rescued. According to local law enforcement officers, two other people were washed away near Route 15, south of the city center. Local news station Fox 5 reported that one man could not be rescued. It was revealed that one man had been located near Flamingo Wash, close to Manor Sunrise stream.
Just days after the tropical storm Hilary battered the region, it brought flash flooding and left a path of destruction across the Pacific coast of Mexico and to California.
“Police verify that not all individuals were rescued,” Mike Allen, a correspondent with the network, shared on X, previously known as Twitter, at the location. “He informs me that he assisted firefighters in saving one acquaintance, but several others remain unaccounted for. I conversed with an individual who observed the incident.”
According to Fox 5, a female individual was unaccounted for while one out of two individuals had been saved to the eastern part of the city center.
On August 23, beginning at approximately 8:56 p.M. PT (11:56 p.M. ET), a representative from the Las Vegas police informed Newsweek that they had “received numerous accounts of people being trapped in drainage channels amidst intense rainfall.
“We addressed these accounts to aid the Clark County Fire Department.”
On Tuesday, meteorologists credited the rainfall in Texas to the leftover effects of tropical depression Harold, a former cyclone that hit land. Prior to this, the National Weather Service (NWS) station in Las Vegas had already issued warnings about severe thunderstorms and flash floods for the region.
The National Weather Service predicts that the region will experience worsening flooding conditions on Thursday, with the highest likelihood of rainfall occurring in the evening and afternoon. These thunderstorm conditions are expected to persist through Thursday and Friday.
A local X resident remarked, “At present, the Vegas Strip resembles a river.” Vehicles cautiously navigate the flooded streets while ankle-deep water swiftly cascades along the road, as depicted in videos shared on social platforms from the Las Vegas Strip.
With water dripping down onto the soaked floor, sections of the casino’s ceiling have fallen, showcasing the unfortunate state of Harrah’s casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in videos.
The roof at Harrah’s in Las Vegas did not collapse, but only minor repairs will be necessary. However, some ceiling tiles were damaged as a result of the incident, “adding, confirmed a spokesperson for Caesars Entertainment to Newsweek, who also stated that there were no reported injuries.”
“They will be finished soon and will not affect our visitors.”
During a comparable weather occurrence in August 2022, rain seeped through the roofs of various casinos, such as Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace, beneath the gambling tables, resulting in harm to the casinos on the Strip. The recent flash flooding is merely the latest instance where intense downpours have inflicted damage upon the casinos on the Strip.
Update 08/25/23, 3:13 a.M. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Caesars Entertainment.