RENO, NEV.--Insurance agents and others at AMS Users' Group National Conference were forced to scramble for giveaway flashlights at exhibit booths Monday when roaring winds cut power to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

But darkness at the meeting center was only the beginning of the bizarre string of natural events that occurred between April 14 and 15 during the conference here.

The windstorm began early Monday after local forecasters had predicted a sunny day with temperatures in the 60s. Forecasters, however, also warned of winds blowing up to 90 miles-per-hour.

Later television weather reports would place the gusts at 100 m.p.h., although the National Weather Service reported a top figure of 60 m.p.h.

The winds were strong enough to knock out power to several areas, downing power lines and trees and damaging construction sites, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The paper also said roofs were blown off of some buildings. A local television news broadcast showed one car crushed by a falling tree.

Power to the convention center began blinking out in mid-afternoon, finally leaving the exhibit hall completely dark, except for a few emergency lights near the exits.

While some at the conference went for the exits and the daylight outside, many remained and searched out flashlights that would enable them to continue roaming the show floor. Several exhibitors held the flashlights above their booth tables to draw in the remaining traffic.

Power to the convention center remained off for the rest of the day and into the middle of Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, three earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more hit the area, the newspaper said. Few among the conference-goers seemed aware of the tremors, however, and no damage was reported.

Adding insult to injury, Tuesday morning also brought a brief snowstorm that dumped about an inch of the white stuff on Reno, after a relatively mild--if extremely windy--day on Monday.

Once power was restored, conference organizers shifted and expanded the schedule to get in as many classes as possible. AMSUG also sent a letter of apology to the attendees at their hotels, attaching a $25 certificate to be used for hotel meals.

Special Reports /

Bizarre Weather, Quakes Menace Agent User Group Conference

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