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YOU ASK. WE INVESTIGATE. Rain brings trouble to homeless who live in wash

Posted at 9:47 PM, Feb 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-18 00:47:05-05

Heavy rain in the weekend forecast could flood washes and tunnels, where some homeless people stay. That has people worried about firefighters having to make dangerous rescues.

There's clothes, trash, even a tent, in this wash near Valley View and Flamingo. Charles Ballard lives in the area and says he is worried about the people who sleep down in the wash.

"I'm not sure if they have survived. If they have it's got to be a close call because the water just piled up there and the garbage piles up there as well," said Ballard.

Clark County has a solution and a specific group of people who try to keep the homeless safe and in turn keep our first responder safe, too. Their homeless outreach team goes out and warns homeless individuals who live in the washes and tunnels before any big storm. Their hope is to get the people to leave, so first responders don't have to make dangerous rescues.

"These are the outreach folks that we use to try to make contact with homeless folks to get them connected to programs," said Dan Kulin, spokesman for Clark County. "These are the folks that really have a good idea of where people are and have developed some sort of rapport, so hopefully they will listen to them a little bit better."

However, the outreach group does not have the authority to make anyone leave.   

The county will send their team out if they get a watch or warning about flooding or rain from the National Weather Service.