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.
A helicopter hovers over floodwaters in Fernley, Nevada, on Saturday in a photo from I-Reporter Denny Berry.
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.
