LAS VEGAS—Rescuers in the rain searched in vain Wednesday for a person reported missing in a storm-swollen flood control channel as intense thunderstorms filled storm channels and sent water into roadways in southeast of Las Vegas, and lightning caused some flight delays at busy McCarran International Airport.
Henderson firefighters and police officers and a Las Vegas police helicopter searched Pittman Wash near the Galleria at Sunset mall and Boulder Highway as rains abated after an intense morning storm, Henderson city spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said. They failed to turn up evidence of the person reported missing before noon.
No name was provided and the age of the person wasn’t immediately clear.
Clark County officials activated an emergency operations center to coordinate responses to the storm that briefly left thousands of people without power and forced closure of several roads in parts of Las Vegas and Henderson due to flooding.
The National Weather Service reported more than 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in one hour Wednesday morning in Henderson, southeast of the Las Vegas Strip.
The weather service issued a flash flood warning for desert areas of Clark County in Nevada and San Bernardino County in California.
Aircraft fueling operations were suspended at times at McCarran International Airport due to lightning strikes in the area, airport spokesman Chris Jones said. Several airlines delayed departures for up to 90 minutes.
Airport delays in Las Vegas forced the postponement of a Triple-A baseball game in Tucson, Ariz., because a connecting flight carrying the visiting Colorado Springs Sky Sox from Salt Lake City to a game with the Tucson Padres was delayed at McCarran.
The aircraft fueling ban came a day after a Southwest Airlines plane was struck by lightning Tuesday while it was parked at a gate. No passengers were aboard at the time, and eight crew members on the aircraft weren’t hurt. The aircraft wasn’t visibly damaged, but was taken out of service pending inspections.
Multiple crashes were reported on Las Vegas-area roads and freeways, and some vehicles stalled in flooded intersections.
Although Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson said some motorists and passengers were taken to hospitals for treatment, no serious or life-threatening injuries were reported.
Clark County firefighters responded to reports of motorists stuck in vehicles due to floodwaters at areas south and east of the Las Vegas Strip, county spokesman Dan Kulin said. There were no reports of injuries.
About 14,000 customers lost electricity for about 30 minutes in one northeast Las Vegas neighborhood, and NV Energy crews worked before noon to restore power to about 3,000 other customers scattered around the area, company spokeswoman Jennifer Schuricht said.
