FEMA announced on 06 November 2014 that federal disaster aid has been made available to the states of Nevada and Arizona to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding that hit parts of the two states between 07 and 09 September 2014.
The storm and flooding at the time was said to be caused by the remnants of former Hurricane Norbert that hit parts of Mexico in the previous days. Heavy rain and flash flooding was also seen in parts of southern California.
Nevada
In Nevada the worst hit area was Moapa, which is about 70 km / 45 miles north east of Las Vegas, where 118 mm (4.67 inches) of rain fell on Monday 08 September 2014 – an extreme amount of rain in this desert area. Flood water was so high that vehicles floated along Interstate 15. Some flooding was also seen in the Las Vegas area.
Arizona
Phoenix was one of the worst affected areas. Around 84 mm (3.3 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours between 07 and 08 September 2014 causing widespread flood damage. This beats the previous high of 74 mm (2.91 inches), set in 1933, and was more than the combined total normally seen in the 3 months of July, August, and September.
A woman died after her car became submerged in 10 feet of flood water in a residential area in east Tucson. Rescue teams couldn’t reach the victim in time.
A second victim drowned in her car after it was caught in flash floods in Oracle Junction, north of Tucson. A second passenger, the victim’s husband, managed to escape from the vehicle and survived.
In their announcement on the Nevada flood aid, FEMA said:
The President’s action makes federal funding available to state and eligible tribal and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe storms and flooding on the Moapa Band of Paiutes Reservation.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
