Community News
Pahrump Valley Gazette, Thursday, May 15, 199725
A Big Wind for Baker
What's that noise? I look out the window and all is brown.
Sand swirls around our mobile and the shingles on the roof
begin a dance of disaster in the screaming wind. I race to the
bathroom and crank open a window to equalize the air pressure
in the house. The bedroom door slams behind me as the wind
crashes through the house. I roughly shove the bedroom door
open and throw down a chair to wedge it open.
I continue to slightly open windows throughout the house
and a fine brown mist of dust fills the rooms. Curtains stand
straight out from their rods and I adjust the windows to keep the
air flowing through the house without destroying the contents.
The heavy chairs on the front porch tear across the deck and
slam into the porch rails. The wooden rocker sails across the
yard. The sheds and new carport are still standing finn but some
poor neighbor's roofing paper is sailing across the yard.
A bit of wind in Baker, Rob Fulton, the manager of Zzyzx,
' calls and says there's no wind at his location, but Baker has
FOidisappeared under a thousand foot column of black dust. Rob
asks are we OK. Well, maybe.
A semi truck and trailer slams into the back of another rig on
the freeway just behind the Del Taco. Fire and ambulance creep
out of town in the blasting wind-driven sand storm. Freeway
closed by a spill of white paint. Driver trapped in cab of rear
truck. Jaws of Life used, Flight for Life called. Interstate
rerouted through Baker while winds continue to batter the
town.
A brief afternoon respite and a time to survey the damage.
Big Lotto sign in front of Wells Fargo Country Store blown
apart, crews clearing it from in front of the store. Parking lot of
Bun Boy covered with downed tree limbs. The World's Tallest
Thermometer stands firm. Duplex on Highway 127 loses roof,
wires down. Fire department from Harvard Road responds to
cover Baker emergency while local crews are still struggling
with freeway crash. More homes lose roofing, but roofs stay
intact. New construction at Union and Chevron stations stay
intact.
Sberiffs Deputy Gene Slack contacts Bun Boy Restaurant
to cheek wind velocities recorded on anemometer atop tallest
thermometer. Winds hit 99 miles per hour during height of
In The Thermometer's Shadow
by Mike Dougherty
storm. No injuries in town. Sev-
eral cars trashed by blowing de-
bris. Citizens venture outdoors and
begin picking up trash as winds
continue to abate.
That was just the beginning. The afternoon storm merely
warmed us up for the night-time biggie.
Laying down catching up on some reading. Late evening,
peaceful, quiet. A scream that comes from all directions. The
house shudders and trembles. The roof strains and pulls at its
fastenings. A hideous screeching from outside, the porch
fuliture slams into the house, the screaming of the wind
reaches a volume of pain and the tooth-grinding screeching
from outside ends in a ripping, tearing sound. I've got to check
the neighbor family, a widow with four kids in the home. I pry
open our front door and push out into the stinging wind-driven
sand of the freshening storm.
The neighbor's house is still standing. Something's wrong
with the sky. Holy... The neighbor's 20x40 foot carport has
blown away and the whole roof is hanging in the Tamarisk
trees, blocking out the western sky. The huge roof is balanced
upright in the trees. If it comes down it will take out a garage
and a parked car. If it blows away it will take out the next home
down the block. I knock on our neighbor's door and she and her
children stand wide-eyed in the entry, surveying the damage. I
ask her permission and then call the fire delmrtment.
There is nothing finer than the response of small town
emergency services. First on the scene is Sheriffs Deputy
Slack. He checks the problem and talks to the woman and her
children. Neighbors from down the block gather round com-
forting the small family. The first fire truck rolls into the yard
staffed by Baker firefighters and inmates from the small local
prison. First chore is to move the car to safety.
With people and vehicles securely out of bann's way, the
problem of how to drag the huge roof out of the trees without
incurring further damage is addressed. Ropes are unwound and
pike poles are unloaded. All to no avail. The wind shifts and
freshens. Men flee as the metal and wooden structure shifts in
the tree top high above. A harsh gust of storm driven wind lifts
the roof from the tree and slams it to the ground. God was with
us. The roof hit no structures, vehicles, or people. As the wind
again lightened, firefighters swarm over the fallen structure,
tearing it apart and anchoring the pieces so it can't be lifted
again by the shifting furies of the storm.
The emergency crews load up and prepare to leave for other
damaged sites. The small family returns to the safety of their
home. The neighbors say goodbye and walk into the night. I
right the overturned dumpster and it's the end of another desert
evening.
There was a big wind in Baker. Baker survived.
Around Amargosa with Andrea
by Andrea Lynn
Remember to come out to the Ambulance Service Ben-
efit Barbecue.
For several years now the Amargosa Volunteer Ambu-
lance Service has put on a Mother's Day brunch and raffle as
part of its annual fund raiser, but this year decided to do
something a little bit different: a barbecue and dance. It's
going to be Saturday evening May 17 starting at 5 p.m. in the
Community Building.
They will have the barbecue first with beef, chicken and
maybe some hamburgers and Jaot dogs forthe young ones.
There will be beans, salads, and desserts as well, all
prepared by the ambulance crew and friends. The VFW will
be selling beer all evening. During supper they'll be selling
:raffle tickets for the drawing.
The prizes, like gift certificates from casinos, and gift items
from local businesses will be raffled off later in the evening.
After several hours they'll clear the tables for the dance.
South Bound is the band they've lined up for the evening.
They are a three (sometimes four) piece band from Las
Vegas that play country and old-time rock and roll dance
music. They've been out to Stateline, so many of you have
danced to their music before.
Besides being an opportunity to get out to see your
friends and neighbors and have a little food and fun, it's
important that the community come out and support the
Ambulance Service.
Our ambulance crew is all volunteer and they only do this
one fund-raiser each year. It's a family affair, so bring the
kids and grandma at least for the first half of the evening.
They are planning on the same crowd that they have gotten
every year for their brunches.
There will be an admission charge (same as previous
years), hut it will cover both the barbecue and the dance.
They might make a little money off the barbecue but the
raffle is real important to
them, and they expect to have
another exciting collection
of prizes.
As part of this annual fund
raiser they have been writ-
ing to local businesses ask-
ing for donations or gifts for
the raffle. They do this to
raise money for unusual pur-
chases and expenses that
aren't covered in the Nye
County budget.
This money has been used
to buy portable diagnostic
equipment for the ambu-
lances. This year they want
to use the money to cover
the cost of putting on an-
00_00lue 00.00iamon00 00TVu00serg
Cactus - Cactus
Largest Selection in Nevada
Desert Plants ~ Succulents
Lots of natlve Nevada plants including:
Red Barrels, Cholla, Yucca, Mound Cactus, Ciariet
Teddy Bear, Beaver Trail, Prickly Pear, Saguaro
Golden Barrels, Organ pipe, Desert Willow
Blue Pale Verde, Ocotillo, Mexican Fence
Post and Extremely Nice
Nevada Joshua Trees
IF=me Cactus Say you saw it in the Gazette, limit of one.
Open: 9 am ~ 5 pm Daily; Sun 10 am ~ 5 pm 12740 Blue Diamond Road
(702) 875-1968
1/2 Mile off 160 W. on Blue Diamond Rd. (Hwy 159)
m
,
L I
d
J
Fax (702) 875-1913
other EMT class. Again this year they are looking for
especially giving people to bring out nice gift items for the
raffle. They need more volunteers to join and be trained for
the ambulance crew.
If you can help, call the ambulance service business
number (372-5656) and leave a message. If you need their
help, call 911. They will come to wherever you are and do
what they can.
presen ts
To Benefit The PVH8 Golf Program
Entry fee: $50.00 per player (Includes green feea. cart. Luau 8r 5how)
Date: Saturday Septemtmr 6, 1997
Time: Straight Times Starting 8:00 AM
• 4 Person Scramble •
• Handicap & NH = No Handicap •
• Calloway Flights •
• Per-Mutual Buy-In • Mulligans •
Long Drive
(closest to pin Mens & Ladies)
Music • Dan¢it • $1ning 6" Just Good Ole Times at the
• TAGOP after the Golf Tournament
Extra Tickets For Luau & Show are SZO.O0 each
SINGLE ENTRY FORM - (1st 80 Players or 2Z=r]
/
Name HDCP (.IHN Telephone
MULTIPLE OR TEAM ENTRY FORM
/
Name HDCP GIHN Telepr,.one
/
Name NOCP GIHN Telephone
/
Name HOCP GIHN Telephon =.
/
Nat/Tie HDCP GIHN Telephoto?
Enclosed: $50 '--I $100 $150 $200
All Tickets and Entries are non-refundable
For Additional Information Call Nick Matsuk at 727-0677
Liz or Jan at 727-7300 Drop Your Forms Off At The
Stagestop, 100 W. Stagecoach Rd. Pahrump, NV
