LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
More than 50 people had to be rescued from their cars this afternoon after heavy rain brought severe flooding to the Las Vegas valley.
"I could not make it. The water hit me all at once," said Eugenia Gillien, who had to be rescued from her Lincoln Town car Tuesday afternoon.
Just like that, flood waters began taking their toll on drivers. Heavy rain came into the valley just before 2 p.m., washing out roads and leaving people stranded.
Three to five people, according to Metro police, had to be rescued by helicopter.
"I had water up to my waist. My truck is saturated," said Carol Lewis, who was airlifted out of her 1981 Datsun on Sahara, near Sloan.
The truck was no match for Mother Nature.
"It went fine and then all of a sudden it wouldn't go any more... and I'm handicapped and diabetic," Lewis said.
Dozens of drivers took the chance through the water. Some made it through but others did not.
Clark County firefighters were busy. From 2-4 p.m. a county spokesman told FOX5 there were 40 swift water rescue calls.
At one spot on Sahara, just off Winterwood Boulevard, drivers experienced the biggest impact with 15 people needing rescue efforts.
"This cannot happen to me. I can't believe this happened to me," said Gillien, who feared for her life until rescuers arrived.
"I could not open the doors and I could not open the windows," she recalled. "I could not holler at the helicopter."
Gillien, for one, is not likely to make an attempt at navigating flood waters any time soon.
"The message continues to (be) - go out to be careful of crossing unknown depth waters," said Patrick Foley, EMS coordinator with the Clark County Fire Department. "There's always a few people who chance it, and there's a few folks like here where the water comes faster than they can get out of the way of."
Erron Present didn't realize how deep the water was while turning onto Boulder Highway from Nellis. His car quickly became flooded, and a stranger helped him out.
Despite the multiple rescues on Tuesday, Clark County Spokesman Dan Kulin said there were no reports of any injuries on the roads.
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Carol Lewis was airlifted from her truck after it became stuck in rising flood waters
Eugenia Gillien was trapped in her car near Sahara and Sloan until rescuers arrived
Erron Present's car was flooded at Nellis and Boulder Highway
