Residents in Truckee and Washoe County are weathering the latest storm Tuesday while still reeling from the effects of the previous storm that hit over the weekend.
"The Truckee-Donner Public Utilities District says that average outage time has been about 40 minutes," says Ky Plaskon, a freelance reporter based in Reno. "They've been really on top of this. It's cold up there, so they need to get people's power back on so they're nice and warm."
He says more than 11,000 utility customers in Truckee have had intermittent power outages in the last week.
Downed trees have been knocking down power lines during the storm. The Sierra has seen sustained winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour, with gusts up to 110.
The National Weather Service has characterized the snow as a "wet slop" rather than the nice dry powder that makes for good skiing. This wet sloppy snow is contributing to blizzard conditions from Cedarville to Mammoth Lakes, producing as much as three to five feet of snow by Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Reno, residents are being asked to stay away from the Truckee River as officials continue to asses flood damage caused by the storm over the weekend.
Plaskon says the flood stirred up potential toxic substances that are undergoing examination.
"An example of that is there's some mercury laced dirt that was flooded, and that's being tested," says Plaskon.
Some residents will be without clean drinking water until officials say the danger has passed.
"Out in Verdi, just west of Reno, people are being asked to boil water in a mobile home park," says Plaskon.
On Monday, Gov. Brian Sandoval toured the Reno-Sparks area and said damage doesn't appear to be as bad as feared but that the impact is difficult for those who were affected.
In downtown Reno, some bridges have reopened. Others will be inspected for structural integrity before traffic is allowed on them again.
In Sparks, city spokesman Adam Mayberry says water continues to surround at least a dozen buildings in an industrial park near the Truckee River.
The Pyramid highway was severely damaged. It's a major route for the Pyramid Lake tribe and during the summer it's used by people going to Burning Man.
Schools in Washoe County, Nevada will start two hours late Tuesdaysand students in Incline Village have the day off due to weather and road conditions.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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