The towns and communities of central Utah have a gift for acting in service. With the severity of the Silver King Fire, surrounding communities have been constantly ready to help the town of Marysvale. And they have helped tremendously. But now with the fire departments slowly containing the fire, a new worry has been brought to Marysvale’s attention. Monsoon season is approaching, and with Marysvale’s surrounding dirt hills, a possible mudslide and flooding is a concern. With this in mind, Marysvale once again asked surrounding towns if they would act in service.
Filling sandbags is a vigorous process but an effective approach when communities suspect a mudslide. This tactic is how Maryvales deals with possible flooding and mudslides. With over 600 firefighters in the area, some were able to start filling sandbags on July 17. While many sandbags were filled that day, Marysvale town also held a “community day of service” on Saturday, July 20 at 8:00 a.m. at Marysvale City Park. They asked those who came to bring a shovel and truck, if possible, to help deliver sandbags around the town while more were being filled. Members of Panguitch Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came and got a lot done.
Monsoon season comes around every year in July for Utah, and usually lasts until early September. A monsoon is a change in the direction of wind that can cause a sudden increase or decrease in rain. Monsoons also bring possible flash floods and lightning from the storms. Monsoons are dangerous to the town of Marysvale because it is a “dip in the road,” as locals say. Flooding is very common for the town with the excessive rain.
New studies are predicting that raging wildfires are one reason why bad mudslides can come with rain. And the wildfires and storms tend to be correlated. Clara Moskowitz and Jen Christiansen, writers from the Scientific American paper, say, “The fires aren’t causing the storms, but the same rising temperatures that lead fires to become more severe allow the atmosphere to carry more moisture.” According to the University of California climate scientists, because the wildfire burns through everything in its path, it kills off vegetation. This leaves no root structure to hold the soil in place, so when the heavy rain comes through it can become dangerous.
During the week of July 14 through 20, Piute County started to see some rain almost daily. While the rain doesn’t last long, it has made an impact in the county. With the already raining weather, locals expect a little more. According to the 10-day online Weather Channel, Marysvale should be mostly sunny with showers here and there during the third and fourth weeks of July. However, there is a higher chance of thunderstorms on July 25 and 26 and on August 2.
– by Ari Hurdsman
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Ari Hurdsman – Junction
Ari Hurdsman is a junior journalist at the Byway. She just recently moved to Ephraim, Utah, where she is a freshman at Snow College. She enjoys writing about Piute sports, and she’s really good at it! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading and hanging out with friends and family.