Kingsbury Grade was the first casualty of the most recent atmospheric river after wet weather sent boulders rolling onto the main connection between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe.
The highway was closed early Friday afternoon so the Nevada Department of Transportation and Q&D Construction could remove loose trees and earth from a slope about a mile down from Daggett Summit on the Carson Valley side.
While that work was being done, spokeswoman Meg Ragonese said boulders fell on different areas of the highway, closing it indefinitely.
More than an inch of rain fell in western Carson Valley on Friday. More rain is expected to fall in Carson Valley over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Douglas County Emergency Management hosted a two-hour tabletop exercise to prepare for potential flooding due to spring runoff.
“As we receive information from the National Weather Service, we will continue to notify the public and keep them informed of potential flooding in our county,” said County Manager Larry Werner. “In the meantime, the best thing the public can do is have a plan for an extended flooding event.”
The tabletop was designed to address the potential for longer periods of flooding and the challenges Douglas County could face. Examples included the expected closures of all East and West accesses across the west side of the valley, a closure of Kingsbury Grade due to a massive mud slide, the extended closure of US 395 in northern Douglas County, and the need to extend evacuations into other areas not normally impacted by flood waters. More than 24 representatives from various agencies attended and generated a list of challenges and solutions an extended flood incident might cause. The group also considered the prior two events and critiqued the response.
Douglas County has received two national declarations and is currently working with its partners and FEMA on recovery matters for both the January event and the February event.
To get the most current flood information visit www.douglascountynv.gov/AlertCenter.as.
