Trees downed by winds force 45 from dwellings

Dozens of residents were evacuated Friday night near downtown Las Vegas after trees fell into their apartments.

Clark County firefighters responded at 10:08 p.m. to 2680 Atlantic St., near East Karen Avenue, after heavy rain, wind and lightning caused several large trees to blow into vehicles and buildings on the property.

“At least three separate buildings with multiple units had heavy damage,” Chief John Steinbeck wrote in a statement Saturday.

Resident Carrie Dabney said she walked outside Friday night to see her grandchildren after her daughter parked on Atlantic. The skies turned dark and windy within a minute, and rain poured down. Dabney said she watched a wind gust knock down two trees, damaging her car and her neighbor’s car.

The storm ended within six minutes, but air conditioning units were damaged, tiles flew off roofs and her daughter, who was six months pregnant, was trapped in the car because of the damage.

National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Woods said the highest gust Friday night was 54 mph, reported at Nellis Air Force Base, but much of the valley saw wind gusts around 40-50 mph.

Saturday afternoon, crews whittled away at decades-old tree trunks and branches sprawled across roofs and cars.

A car with an employee parking pass had shattered glass filing the back seat, a dent in the roof and leaves across the windshield. The tree that was once on top of it had been removed and cut up.

“They have to cut off power, water and gas because of leaks,” Dabney said of the property managers, who she was still waiting to hear from. “They haven’t even responded to say, ‘If you need to get a hotel, we’ll cover it.’ Rent is due in a couple days. Every time they turn the power off, food is going back in my fridge and I can’t cook anything. It’s been 24 hours since I ate.”

A temporary shelter was opened at Orr Middle School, 3 miles away, but Dabney said residents were allowed to sleep in an empty hallway and many did not want to leave their pets behind.

Steinbeck said 45 residents were asked to evacuate.

The American Red Cross said the last displaced resident at Orr had left the shelter by 6:30 p.m. Saturday and that it would close. The Red Cross said it would continue helping residents.

“We’ve got other trees that are ready to fall, so it’s going to happen again if they don’t come and correct any of this stuff,” Dabney said.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.