Floodwaters ebb in Fernley

FERNLEY -- Receding floodwaters, blue skies and promises of help cheered residents of this rural Nevada town where hundreds of homes were inundated when a canal broke -- but full-scale federal aid to people with damaged homes appeared uncertain.

"It is not going to be a slam dunk," Michael Karl of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday, referring to a possible federal disaster declaration that would allow for grants and low-interest loans to victims of the flooding Saturday.

"That's why we're taking extra time to justify a (disaster) request," added Karl, who toured the area where floodwaters had been as deep as 8 feet. Nobody was injured, and by Monday the icy water was down to about a foot in some homes and gone from others.

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management estimated Sunday that 290 homes had varying degrees of flood damage, but Karl put the number at 200, and said half of those had major damage.

While Karl said Gov. Jim Gibbons' request for a disaster declaration from President Bush seemed "marginal," he noted there were added factors such as victims' lack of flood insurance -- only one homeowner had such a policy -- and the flood's adverse economic impact on the town 30 miles east of Reno.

Gibbons, in his request expected to arrive today at the White House, included initial repair and cleanup estimates approaching $4 million, and indicated that follow-up assessments could push that total higher.

The governor said the federal assistance is needed because the flooding was "of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments."

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., joined by Karl and state officials, took a helicopter tour over the flooded area on Monday and later pledged to fight for the federal declaration.

"If an emergency is not declared, it will create major problems for the people of Fernley and Lyon County," said Reid, who was backed by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., in pressing for the order from Bush.

Reid also said he would seek funding to improve the 105-year-old earthen canal. Referring to both the canal rupture early Saturday and a Minnesota bridge collapse last August that killed 13 people, Reid said, "We have a problem with the infrastructure in this country, and I have been a longtime advocate of doing something about it. It just has to be done."

Reid also brought up the Katrina disaster, saying FEMA's initial response in that case was poor but "FEMA has done an excellent job here. They were at my beck and call. I've talked to them several times and I think everything is working well at this point."

FEMA officials arrived in Fernley on Sunday, after having to turn back on Saturday when the Coast Guard C-130 in which they were flying had a small electrical fire. The plane returned safely to the Sacramento area.

Betsy Rieke, area manager for the federal Bureau of Reclamation, said Monday that she and her colleagues are unsure what caused the breach but are hoping an agency investigation will help find answers.

She said Fernley soil and strata samples have been sent to a bureau team in Sacramento for review. The agency also plans to examine the last canal rupture, a December 1996 collapse that flooded 60 Fernley homes, for any clues.

"It may be hard to pinpoint the cause. The evidence washed away," Rieke said after attending the meeting with Reid. "We don't know how long the investigation will take. We've got to do it right."

Ernie Schank, president of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, said he's aware of at least six past breaks of the canal. At least three occurred before 1926 when the federal government operated the canal, and three have taken place since, he said.

The irrigation district has an operating agreement with the federal Bureau of Reclamation to run the 31-mile-long canal that takes water from the Truckee River near Reno to farms around Fallon, 60 miles east of Reno. The contract is renewed every five years and was last renewed in 2007.

Asked whether it would be possible to strengthen the canal by lining it with cement, Schank replied, "That would be wonderful if you could come up with the money. The cost would be in the hundreds of millions, if not the billions."

Rieke said there's no question the collapse will lead to lawsuits.

"I think it'll be highly litigated," she told The Associated Press. "We believe the district would be liable."

Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said water that had been as deep as 8 feet was down to no more than a foot in homes damaged when a canal bank gave way. He added that some streets remained flooded by 2 to 3 feet of icy water.

"We're working as hard as we can. It has gone down," Cutler said Monday, adding that residents have been returning since Saturday to their homes to start cleanup efforts as water drained away and the canal was temporarily repaired.

"We're encouraging people not to be in their homes if there's standing water. That's where we are now," Cutler said.

Flooding spread over as much as a square mile of the town after heavy rainfall caused by a West Coast storm that piled snow as much as 11 feet deep in the Sierra Nevada.

Cutler praised the public for its support since the rupture, saying he even got a call from Democratic Sen. Barack Obama who's among the candidates in Nevada's Jan. 19 presidential caucuses.

"He asked, 'Is there anything we can do for you?'" Cutler said. "I told him that we were working closely with Senators Reid and Ensign. He said, 'I know Harry will take care of you.'"