Hurricane Norbert's aftermath causes deadly floods

Flooding kills at least two in Southwest

What remains of Hurricane Norbert is being felt throughout the Southwest. The storm has dropped record amounts of rain in drought-ravaged communities, CBS News correspondent Danielle Nottingham reports.

Flooding killed at least two people and stranded drivers and closed roads in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.

On the famed Las Vegas strip, thousands of tourists have been faced with delayed flights, power outages and flooded streets.

A flash flood warning was lifted Tuesday and clean-up is underway, but Nevada is still reeling from the devastation caused by this latest storm.

The storm pummeled the strip, dumping more than three inches of rain in just one hour, flooding attractions like the High Roller Ferris Wheel and closing a 20-mile stretch of the I-15, the only interstate into the city.

"There are hundreds of cars up and down Interstate 15 that are just trapped," one highway patrolman said. "There are whole sections of the highway that are completely gone"

The buckled freeway stranded homeowners and left big rigs with no way out.

"Clark County Fire ... did arrive on scene and perform several rescues and get people safe," said Chelsea Webster, trooper with the Nevada Highway Patrol. "You can see the water just cascading off Interstate 15"

The Moapa Valley, 50 miles north of Vegas, was hardest hit. Residents were forced to evacuate as flash floods consumed their ranch land and threatened their livestock.

Meanwhile, 100 homes in Mesa, Arizona, were evacuated as that state experienced record-breaking rainfall not seen since 1933. Arizona's governor declared a state of emergency, and rescue crews in Tucson struggled to save dozens of stranded motorists.

Two women died in the flooding, one trapped inside her car as it sank in 15 feet of water.

"Within basically a minute or two of us being on scene, that vehicle was swept downstream and it immediately went down underwater," said Capt. Barrett Baker with the Tucson Fire Department.

Phoenix motorist Jim Sampson was hit by a wave of water that quickly sent him into survival mode.

"I just waited inside for the pressure to equalize from the inside to the outside and just opened it and climbed out," he said.

One construction worker near the Quad Casino was nearly washed away by a current that was one block wide and six inches deep.

The National Weather service says rain and flooding could continue in the Southwest through early Wednesday.

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