By late evening, officials were trying to blast an old concrete barrier out of the Santa Clara River with ammonium nitrate in an attempt to open another channel away from threatened homes.

The front nine holes on the Southgate golf course in St. George were destroyed, while the first three holes on the Sunbrook golf course were damaged, Mortensen said. Five city parks are gone, as are miles and miles of walking trails and bridges.

Hundreds of people turned out to help fill sandbags to place around houses in Bloomington, Green Valley and Santa Clara. Traffic in and out of the two cities is restricted in numerous places, and many homes received flood damage.

Jill Ence, whose home is in Santa Clara, said she was hoping and praying the river wouldn't turn her way.

"We've lived here 13 years and never worried about water," Ence said. "The river was completely dry for years. It's never been like this."

The normally sedate Virgin and Santa Clara rivers were clocked at 20,000 and 6,500 cubic feet per second, respectively, producing what officials are calling a 100-year flood.

Story continues below Deseret Morning News graphic Utah weather Requires Adobe Acrobat.

The Washington County School District also canceled school for today, telling teachers and students to take advantage of the time to help others clean up from the flood.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com