Cram 1

Deryl Austin Cram

Professor Kass
Natural Disasters
2 December 2016
The Natural Hazards of Sin City
Las Vegas, Nevada and her beautiful night lights are frequently at risk of nothing?
There simply are no natural hazards or disasters that strike my city, according to researchers
looking in a broad perspective. But, there has been in the past. The not so major hazards of Las
Vegas include; an earthquake on our fault lines near beautiful lake mead, lightning showers, flash
floods, heat waves, an a few others that have all taken lives. The scorching city has even endured
an avalanche that took the lives of local visitors of Mount Charleston. These hazards are spread
from the northern tip of the city to the southern tip. For a city that is considered not to have many
natural disasters, there are past issues and current data that support disaster is looming. There are
many local researchers that support the idea that the city is a high risk factor for natural hazards
to take place. Las Vegas is a beautiful, fun filled city but [to] be sure, Nevada has experienced
weather-related deaths. But compared with elsewhere, the Silver State has largely been spared.
In the summer of 2005 a heat wave took the lives of 17 citizens from July 13th to July 24th
with temperatures consistently hovering around 117 degrees Fahrenheit. A local lawman at the
time, Syzmanski, said, Since Friday, there have been 78 calls to 911 concerning heat-related
illness, and 28 people have been hospitalized. This shows the concern of the citizens about the
scorching heat. The summers of Las Vegas are still as hot to this day, everyone is at constant risk
of dehydration, exhaustion and other health concerns that derive from heat waves. Las Vegas sits
in a bowl, a city surrounded by mountains, and the heat waves feel like it is forever surrounding

Cram 2
and never escaping the bowl, like hot soup on a flat surface. Heat waves are not the first thing
that may come to a persons mind when speaking on the topic of natural hazards but has proven
to be deadly, just like the natural hazards no one would expect Las Vegas to have. There have
been many steps taken in order to advance preparation methods for heat waves. For example,
there are constant warnings on local news stations (both TV and radio), immediate alerts to cell
phones and planned traffic control in order to avoid dangerous areas.
September 14th, not too long ago, a flash flood took 9 people with it, leaving them dead.
Floods or rain in general is not something our heat stricken, desert filled city has often. There are
beautiful lightning showers that are occasionally followed by these dangerous flash floods.
Only calling them beautiful due to the magnitude of the flashes. Cities like Salt Lake among
others have the city grounds built to resist floods and encourage the water flow into major drains,
avoiding as much danger as possible. When flash floods attack Las Vegas they have the ability to
swarm streets and buildings forcing mud and rocks throughout popular parts of the valley. A
classmate of mine died on that day, September 14th, dare deviling in a drain. Accidents do happen
when hazards stop by but that goes to show the severity of flooding in Nevada. It does not
happen often and that has the ability to make it that much more dangerous for those who are
uneducated.
Although the flash floods are dangerous, they do not provide enough sustainable water
for other natural hazards in the valley. The Las Vegas area is consistently affected by the wild
fires coming from California and Nevada started by lightning or arson. There was a time when I
was in second grade where we stepped outside to start our day and immediately saw ash fall.
When wild fire crosses into our border we do not have to consistent water source to help set the
fire to rest. The drought in Las Vegas is serious and dangerous. The lakes have gone down each

Cram 3
year and precautions have been taken as far as limiting the water usage on front lawns. The
heavy smoke from wild fires pollutes the air and affects the safety of many throughout the valley,
residents and tourists. As the population climbs and tourism expands, the water in the valley in
continuously being depleted. The rising number of people flowing in and out of Vegas will be
beneficial financially.
Going back in time, February 25th, 1969 to be exact, an avalanche occurred on Mtn.
Charleston taking the lives of two more Las Vegas citizens. Now, I know Vegas is a desert
scorched city and this was a long time ago but with as much information and as many tools there
is, this is a natural hazard that can be unpredictable at times. The snow levels at Mtn. Charleston
have not been as heavy since 1969 (judging from 1970 records as 1969 records were missing in
every report I found) but the fact that there has been a history of the event, an avalanche, it puts
the people at risk. In recent avalanche activity on Mount Charleston a mini avalanche occurred
in 2009 killing a thirteen-year-old boy. The gap in between instances is large but reinforces that it
is unpredictable and should remain amongst other high risk hazards. The avalanche history puts a
cap on the wide variety of hazards that happen above ground and at ground level, but there is
more that happens below ground level that exposes another weakness of Las Vegas, Nevada.
In recent Las Vegas natural hazard events, there was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on
February 21st of 2008. Local researchers say that Las Vegas will experience another earthquake
of at least a 5.0 magnitude within the next 25 years. There are seven fault lines in Nevada led by
the biggest, The Frenchman Fault. The ground in Las Vegas is not fit for an earthquake. As
described by researchers, Our valley is bedrock with a bunch of softer materials so it's kind of
like a bowl of Jell-O [and] In a valley like ours, the seismic waves can bounce back and forth,
and with soft sediments, the damage can be extensive. If a 6.6 earthquake hit Las Vegas there

Cram 4
could be upwards of $17 billion in economic loss, approximately 30,000 buildings in the valley
would be damaged, as many as 11,000 would need public shelter and up to 800 people could die.
An earthquake is the number one hazard for Las Vegas as Nevada is the third most seismically
active state in the country. The fault lines are located near Lake Mead which means in the event
of an earthquake, our already low water level lake will be affected as well. So the city would lose
up to seventeen billion dollars in building and city damage and a lake that is an attraction, water
source and fishing source. Las Vegas citizens, along with other states residents, are constantly
worried about earthquakes because they always seem to occur. But for states like Nevada it is a
reality for sure. So our faults are not to be taken lightly, as a researcher says, Our current
research indicates that our current faults in our valley are a greater problem than has been
recognized.
Nevada has a wide range of hazards to keep on our radar. In a broad perspective Las
Vegas is not a major target for natural hazards. But when viewing its history, it is easy to see the
city is still at risk. The natural hazards that have come through my city and state have been
deadly. The safety precautions are just that precautions. Nevada does not have the resources
or the local experience to attack the hazards when they take place, even if it is not as rapid or
persistent as other states. Living in Las Vegas seems luxurious but the heat waves and flash
floods are serious problems with heat waves being an every day struggle. Keeping up with the
heat is a very tall task, exhaustion and dehydration are very common when people are attempting
to go through with a simple every day routine. My city is beautiful and overall is safe when it
comes to natural disasters, for now. The fact that all disasters occurrences have taken lives, is not
promising for the future. Although the destruction level will not be as large as other states, the
damage will be large because of the resources and revenue it will destroy it its path.

Cram 5

Works Cited

Cram 6
lasvegassun.com/staff/riley-snyder/. "Las Vegas Has Never Been Hotter: 117 Degrees Ties Alltime Record." LasVegasSun.com. N.p., 30 June 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
REVIEW-JOURNAL, MAX MICHOR LAS VEGAS. "Smoke from California Fires Creating
Haze over Las Vegas Valley." Las Vegas Review-Journal. N.p., 17 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Dec.
2016.
"Detailed Accident Report." Avalanche.org - Detailed Accident Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec.
2016.
"Big Las Vegas Earthquake a Possibility." Las Vegas, NV News, Weather, Entertainment. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
/.latest_citation_text
//lasvegassun.com/staff/jacquelyn-valley/. "An Unlucky Seven: When Nature Has Lashed out in
Nevada." LasVegasSun.com. N.p., 26 May 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.