Storms cause trouble in Nevada, turn deadly in California

MALIBU, California (CNN) -- Severe storms that have brought heavy rain, snow and high winds to California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado claimed their first victim and probably triggered a levee break Saturday.

The rupture in western Nevada sent water gushing into the town of Fernley, cutting off as many as 400 homes and forcing dozens of residents to flee to the local high school for shelter, officials said.

More than a dozen people had to be rescued, but there were no reports of injuries, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said.

The levee break caused flooding of up to 3 feet in some parts of the Reno area.

Cutler said the water escaped through a 50-foot breach in the levee, affecting 300 to 400 homes in about one square mile in Fernley.

Power was out in parts of the town. See where Fernley and canal are located »

A local resident who drove out of his neighborhood said his street was flooded.

"Water to the edge of our driveway and rising quickly," Bill Sanchez said. "Firemen are in the middle of the street with water up to their knees." See icy floodwaters cover the area »

About 100 people, including people with small children and pets, took refuge in a high school, which had been set up as a temporary shelter, Cutler said. Watch how break ruined residents' morning »

Snow and low temperatures were aggravating the situation, Trooper Chuck Allen of the Nevada Department of Public Safety told CNN earlier.

"Temperatures are cold, at the freezing mark. We just received a lot of snow overnight, probably about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Fernley area. You couple that with cold water, I mean, folks have just woken up to a terrible event," he said.

To help ease the flooding, water in the Truckee Canal -- which carries water through Fernley from the Truckee River to the Lahontan Reservoir -- was now being diverted, said Scott Huntley of the Lyon County fire department. As a result, the water was receding.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons said he intended to sign a declaration of emergency for Lyon County.

"We're hopeful that we'll be be able to get a federal declaration of emergency, get the presidential declaration, which will allow us not just to have FEMA resources, but federal resources to help rebuild this community," he said.

Although it was not immediately clear what caused the break in the levee, the officials noted that a large storm Friday night had pummeled the area with several inches of snow.

Asked about a report that rodents burrowing near the canal contributed to the breach, Gibbons and other officials said it was too early to tell.

A team from the Army Corps of Engineers is at the scene assessing the break.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Lyon County after the levee break.

Also Saturday, police found a body believed to be that of a woman who was washed away in a pickup truck on a flooded road overnight in rural Chino, California, a police spokesman said.

The body was discovered more than a mile from where the truck had gone underwater overnight Friday.

Her companion survived by clinging to a tree amid the rapid and deep water for at least three hours, Chino Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Gaul said.

Rescuers pulled the man into a boat with a rope. He was taken to a local hospital and is suffering from minor hypothermia, cuts and bruises.

In Orange County, California, about 3,000 residents in four canyons burned by last year's wildfires were ordered to evacuate Friday night.

"There is a high risk of mudslides and debris flows due to heavy rain in the burn areas," said a statement from the Orange County Emergency Operations Center. "These mudslides and debris flows occur without notice and can be large enough to completely bury homes, roads and lives [people]."

"Anyone choosing not to evacuate does so at their own risk," the statement added. Watch how 'killer slides' pose danger »

In higher elevations of the region, the National Weather Service issued a rare heavy snow warning for the San Bernardino Mountains, predicting 1 to 2 feet of new snow on those peaks.

As it moved eastward, the huge storm sent whipping winds and heavy snow into parts of Utah and Colorado on Saturday as well, prompting authorities to close major highways -- including Interstate 80 -- as the weather service warned that traveling in the area "will put your life at risk."

"Do not attempt to travel in the Sierra [region] today," the meteorological agency said in a special weather statement.

CalTrans has also issued high-wind advisories over bridges in the bay area, and motorists are being warned to proceed with caution, she said.

A blizzard warning was discontinued for the area around Truckee, California, northeast of Sacramento, which received large amounts of snow overnight, as well as strong winds.

A gust near Donner Peak was clocked at 163 miles per hour. Watch whipping 40-mph winds »

The heavy rains and wind in several parts of California contributed to major power outages, with as many as 1.75 million customers affected at the peak of the blackout.

About 400,000 Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customers still had no power Saturday afternoon, spokesman David Eisenhauer told CNN in a phone interview. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Susan Roesgen contributed to this report.

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