Flood preparedness in Washoe County and the City of Reno

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Rain is in the forecast up until next week. Washoe County and the City of Reno have come together with an action plan to ensure the safety of the public and the protection of infrastructure.

Washoe County and the City of Reno shared with us the next 24 hours are crucial when it comes to preparing.

The county has staged critical equipment such as backhoes, loaders, and excavators that are ready at a moment’s notice.

For the past several weeks operations have taken care of ditches and drainage inlets to make sure they are free of debris.

Crews will be ready 24/7 throughout the storm and nine sandbag locations in the community are stocked.

Eric Crump, of Washoe County Operations, mentioned what residents in high-risk areas, such as the North Valleys, need to know.

“If anybody has experienced flooding in the last several years, you can probably expect it again, and now is the time the community can prepare themselves for flooding. That’s why we set up these sandbag locations in advance of the storms. The sand and the sandbags there are intended for residents, just bring a shovel and do what you can to protect your property.”

Travis Truhill, City of Reno Director of Maintenance and Operations shared:

“We’re going to be actively clearing debris that may fill up in these areas as we go. Our goal again is to make sure the water goes where the water is supposed to go, it’s critical to us. As water levels come up we have certain trigger points and things we’ll be doing around the city to secure properties and secure infrastructure.”

There are a lot of storm drains that are blocked by heavy amounts of snow.

Officials share that this can be a good thing as the snow can act like a sponge, but in the case, it can’t take on the precipitation and can lead to closed roadways and overflow onto properties.

Washoe County urges members of the community to call them at 311 or 328-2180 if they see any issues.

Keeping up with their social media pages is also recommended.

Copyright 2023 KOLO. All rights reserved.