Nevada Officials Destroy Tiny Homes Meant For Las Vegas Homeless

Nevada residents are angry this week about Nevada officials demolishing a group of tiny homes that were being used Las Vegas homeless residents. As reported by KTNV in Las Vegas, the tiny homes were built on private land owned by Joseph Lankowski. Lankowski specifically bought the parcel of land to build these small residences. And he did so with the help of volunteers and an organization called New Leaf Community. This organization is able to make a tiny home in about an hour for just $600. These structures provide shelter and peace of mind for those living on the streets. While not very large, at about just 50 square feet in size, these were places people could sleep at night and lock up during the day. Giving much-needed sense of ownership and safety.

Nevada officials, who refused to do an interview, released a statement claiming the tiny homes violated the zoning for that area. The parcel was only zoned for a single-family residence. Which means a 1200-square foot structure needed to be built prior to any smaller dwellings. Allegedly Lankowski, who admittedly proceeded with the project knowing this zoning issue, was trying to get laws in place to allow this kind of building to happen. But the catch is that this kind of zoning doesn’t yet exist in Nevada, according again to KTNV. Which means our Las Vegas homeless residents who were living in those tiny homes just had to watch them getting destroyed. Not moved. Not relocated to a more suitable place. Destroyed. This was private land that is now back to barren dirt.

In lieu of an interview, Nevada officials provided a statement to KTNV. Part of it read: "The City of North Las Vegas' top priority is providing a safe and livable community for all residents. The ramshackle arrangements located on the property were non-permitted structures that violated both Uniform Housing Code and Municipal Code regulations, and significantly increased the dangers of death from building collapse, fire and exposure to extreme temperatures. By flagrantly ignoring codes and regulations, the property owner created an unsafe, unsanitary condition on the property, to the extent that it was deemed uninhabitable."

More uninhabitable than living on the streets??? Something tells me these officials weren't thinking about the fact that some Las Vegas homeless residents don't have another option.

–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas

Follow us! Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Let's face it...the 2022 Las Vegas monsoon season has been a doozy. And we still have a month to go. But just for a little perspective, the National Weather Service has named this the wettest Las Vegas monsoon season we've had in ten years. According to their twitter page, we've had 1.28" of rain so far this year. You can see on the graph the last ten monsoon seasons and how they compare to this year's numbers.

https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/1558067667558232064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1558067667558232064%7Ctwgr%5E6aaeaca5123d93433bf4e675177353e5a9605257%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F963kklz.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D423901action%3Dedit

Monsoon season starts anywhere between mid June and early July. And lasts until about mid September. Dangerous lightning, wildfires, dust storms and flash flooding. Monsoon season is not the time of year to be careless. That goes for whether we are home or out when a storm hits. On our Las Vegas roads we have seen a lot of slick pavement during this season, with the slippery combination of rainfall and discharge from automobiles. And the days after a storm haven't been any easier either. High winds and dust storms leaves a ton of debris on our roadways, making it hard to navigate even the most familiar of routes. During monsoon season, winds have been known to top 50 miles per hour, and many homes have seen damage like falling trees or broken shingles.

This year we've seen people dying in the flash floods of the underground tunnels. And Planet Hollywood just got an unexpected water feature in the middle of the gaming floor. Monsoon season is no joke. And it's important for us to remember when it's upon us. Let's do what we can to keep ourselves and our families safe during this treacherous time of year. To help in that effort, we've put together a list of tips that every resident should know during a Las Vegas monsoon season.

–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas

Sometimes the storms during monsoon season last a few minutes. Other times it's a few hours. But wherever you are when it hits, it's best to stay put if you can. All that wind and rain makes driving more hazardous than ever. And blowing debris and lightning can also cause issues. Find something to do wherever you are and wait it out, if possible.

Texting and driving is always a bad idea, but a thousand times over during a storm. The roads are wet, visibility is compromised from rain or dust storms. This is not the time to drive with less than two hands. Never take your eyes off the road and drive under the speed limit.

Monsoon storms sometimes cause us to temporarily lose power. If you have any appliances or routers that you just cannot afford to have go out, get a back up power supply. There are lots of options, from little battery banks to full on generators. And having candles and/or flashlights on hand is never a bad idea.

During monsoon season, it's smart to keep an eye on each day's weather. If you're not used to checking on the weather before leaving the house, you can set up a lot of smart devices to automatically deliver that news every day. Then you can take the necessary precautions if a storm is headed your direction. There are also weather apps to choose from that can set up a schedule for daily reporting.

We hear it all the time! Driving (or walking) through flash flooding is a bad idea. But still people do it. If you're one of these people, keep in mind that it only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock over an adult. And only a foot and a half of it to move a vehicle. Turn around. It's not worth the risk.

Like we said, monsoon season sometimes brings winds over 50 mph. So be prepared for a little furniture rearranging on your back porch. If you have outdoor draperies, string lights or lightweight pillows, you might want to bring them in or make sure they're well-secured to something. Or you might be fishing them out of your neighbor's yard.

With all the water we've been getting in Vegas, there has been many opportunities for some water to collect in puddles here and there. Well this is the perfect breeding ground for our little mosquito friends. So during monsoon season, make it a habit to check places around your house that water can collect and dump it before those little buggers can lay their eggs.