Monsoon Floods Adds to Gunfire and Arson Chaos in Las Vegas

08:07
12 Aug

First it was reported gunfire causing chaos, then it was suspected arson freaking everyone out, and last week it was monsoon rains that had the Vegas crowds running for cover...

You might think that some rain would be welcomed by those who have to live in the dry heat of Nevada, but the monsoon season is a dangerous time, with flash floods causing devastation – and danger to life warnings.

Fortunately for the vast majority of poker players, the World Series of Poker had just packed up when the thunderstorms hit Vegas, although those left behind weren’t so lucky, Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood among the casinos affected...

With just six inches of fast-flowing floodwater needed to knock a human off their feet, and 18 inches enough to carry a car off into the unknown, it was the streets outside that were really worrying.

---

There were no reports of casualties among the casino-goers due to the rain, which is more than can be said for the recent “active shooter” incident that preceded the bad weather in disrupting the gambling Mecca.

The sound of a smashed window at the MGM led to rumours of gunshots spreading like wildfire, with stampedes at several casinos on the Vegas Strip.

This one did affect the WSOP, with players furious at officials who tried to get games back up and running while reports of injuries were still coming in...

That hand belongs to Daniel Negreanu, who posted on Instagram:

“Suspected shooter and I start running with the crowd and got trampled but at least we are safe.”

One week later, and it was fire that had the crowds heading for the exits, Las Vegas’ oldest-running casino, the El Cortez, seeing smoke billowing from the rafters...

With several cases of suspected arson in the area in the weeks prior to the El Cortez incident, there were worries that they might be connected.

Later, however, it was deemed that a faulty air-conditioning unit had caused the smoke problem and all that was needed was some time and fresh air to get things back to normal.

It has been a crazy and at times worrying summer so far for Vegas, but the city has bounced back from much worse than some smoke and water – Viva Las Vegas indeed!