reno

reno's wildest flood? gotta be the one from 1997. it wasn't just a bad storm. it was chaos.

back-to-back warm pacific storms hit right after heavy snowfall. rain melted snow fast, and the truckee river couldn't handle it. water levels peaked at 13.9 feet in downtown reno. that's major flood stage.

the stats?
• over $1 billion in damages across nevada and california
• reno's downtown underwater for days
• more than 1,500 homes and businesses damaged
• thousands evacuated
• unr and the airport shut down

bridges were submerged. roads turned to rivers. even the casinos took a hit. fema had to step in. locals still call it the "new year's flood" because it hit just as 1997 started.

the aftermath pushed reno to rethink flood control completely. today, the truckee river flood project is a direct response to what happened back then.

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