Several below street level Vegas businesses flooded - CBS 5 - KPHO

Several below street level Vegas businesses flooded

Posted: Updated:
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -

As the rain flooded Maryland Parkway Tuesday afternoon, those working inside the Promenade's lower stores noticed just a little bit of water at first, but that quickly changed.

"It was almost like a tidal wave coming down the stairs, and within a few minutes it was full," said Morty Luman, owner of the TV Shop.

Up to four feet of water crashed into the businesses.

"Customers were eating inside, and we were thinking about telling them to evacuate quickly. All the water was starting to get to the window really fast," said Flame Kabob manager "Dez."

And because the storefronts are glass, there was little owners could do.

Whazzup Pizza got hit especially bad. Owner Dominic Venditti said it's unlikely he'll be able to reopen.

"I was making a pizza and the window collapsed and I got caught against the wall. There's no more store, there's nothing here. We lost all the food and we lost all the equipment. We lost everything. We don't have anything anymore," Venditti told FOX5.

There was similar damage in the other businesses.

Those who work inside the Promenade are upset with the landlord, feeling the property wasn't properly maintained.

"With proper drainage, this wouldn't happen; this would have been draining pretty quickly and it would never have gotten to this level," said Fred Giovannitti, who owns Tatlantis Tattoo Parlor.

A few of the businesses have flood insurance.

"(Our landlord) said that anything inside our shop is our responsibility," Luman said.

"We don't know if we're going to open it again," Venditti said.

Copyright 2012 KVVU (KVVU Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.

More News

SLIDESHOW: Flooding ravages Las Vegas Valley

Updated:

FOX5 viewers struggled with the floods Tuesday afternoon and captured plenty of pictures. More... More>>

Powered by WorldNow
CBS 5
Powered by WorldNow CNN
All content © 2013, CBS 5 (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation), Phoenix, AZ and WorldNow. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.