(STRANGE SOUNDS) – Airports, parking lots, and the entire Las Vegas Strip, which houses some of the world’s most famous casinos and hotels, were flooded Thursday night.
Heavy rain filled countless buildings as the city put a flash flood and severe thunderstorm warning in place.
There are no injuries reported at this time, Las Vegas Fire Information Officer, said Tim Szymanski. Other videos posted on social media showed the inside of Circa sportsbook bursting with floodwater and soaking the carpet.
The iconic Caesar’s Palace was also affected by floodwater, as a video posted online showed the ceiling unable to contain the water, which subsequently poured onto the carpets.
Alexander Wolf, a Las Vegas resident, said he saw “curtains” of rainfall outside his window.
“Lightning was nearly constant, and the power went out several times,” he told The Post.
“Electric surges set the fire alarms of several buildings off, causing fire responders to have to head out into the storm to respond to them.”
Simon Jowitt, an economic geologist and professor at the University of Las Vegas, told The Post that while flash floods don’t happen too often, Nevadians do anticipate monsoon season from July to September.
“We’ve got good drainage systems but sometimes the water just overloads them,” Jowitt, who hails from Las Vegas, told The Post. “It can also be dangerous for homeless people who sometimes live in the drainage systems for shelter.”
“The other thing is that we don’t often get rain so it’s hard to check whether roofs and the like are actually waterproof; probably what has happened in the casinos tonight,” he added.
“These rains don’t happen that often, but we’ve had a few days in a row now.”
