Our counties will likely receive more rain and snow this week, and the snow continues to melt from the massive amounts we received in late February and early March. Anticipating this, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office is preparing the county for an increase in flood conditions, especially in Panguitch.
The goal is to prepare people for the possibility of floods before people get into bad situations and have to call for help.
The county has provided sandbags at the Triple C Arena in Panguitch and at the County Road Shed in Tropic for anyone to use. So many volunteers showed up to help Friday night as the Triple C Arena made up to 800 sandbags available to locals.
“We had dozens of volunteers that were out there. … Everybody just wants to see the best for everybody else,” Joe Adams with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office told KSL TV. “So, you know, having all of those volunteers and having all of that help is incredibly, incredibly useful, and we’re very thankful for that.”
As expected, the flooding began affecting some homes in Panguitch on Saturday.
County officials added that frozen ground gives the water nowhere to go, and the drains are still frozen over. Low-lying farm areas near rivers are also especially susceptible to flooding. In the last couple of days, they’ve handed out at least 1,500 sandbags.
“The more prepared people are, the more prepared we are as a county, the more ready we are going to be to get through it,” Joe said.
Flood Safety
The sheriff’s office also shared some safety guidelines for traveling through flood conditions:
- Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
- Avoid walking or driving through flood waters.
- If flash flooding is possible, move immediately to higher ground.
- If floodwaters rise around your car and the water is still, abandon the car and move to higher ground, but do not get into moving water.
- Avoid camping or parking along streams, rivers, and creeks during heavy rainfall. These areas can flood quickly and with little warning.
The GCSO directed those looking for more flood safety guidelines to visit the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/readiness.html.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: Volunteers help fill over a thousand sandbags ahead of anticipated flooding in Panguitch. Courtesy Garfield County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook.