Dixie fears rain will bring more flooding

ST. GEORGE — Crews are on standby throughout southern Utah today as rain continues to fall and concerns over more flooding keep residents on edge.

"We're expecting the rivers to peak around noon (today)," said Dean Cox, Washington County Emergency Services director. A flash flood warning issued Friday for the southwest portion of Utah kept river watchers on alert throughout the night.

"Right now, we're concerned about the instability of the river channels and the temporary fixes we've made," said Cox. "The channel is compromised. We put some sand berms in to kind of put the river back in its usual channel, but those could just melt away."

While no one expects a repeat of the January floods that stripped more than two dozen homes from their foundations and damaged more than 30 others, the worry remains that more damage will be done.

"We could have further erosion on the banks," said Cox, pointing out that numerous homes are already in a precarious situation because of last month's floods. Residents in Gunlock were told to be prepared with 72-hour kits and emergency supplies.

"The permanent bridges to Gunlock were destroyed (last month) and the temporary bridges could get washed out," he said, pointing out that Gunlock was isolated for several days in January. Traffic was restricted on Friday to local residents only on U-18 north to Veyo and on to Gunlock.

If needed, the county's emergency operations center could be activated within an hour to coordinate relief and response efforts, he said. Sandbags are stocked at fire stations in the areas most vulnerable to potential floods, and many homeowners in Bloomington simply opted to keep the sandbags already placed around their property.

Another top concern for local officials is that people may put themselves in danger by getting too close to the unstable riverbanks.

"We've got signs up, but for some reason people still try to go where they're not supposed to be," said Cox. "We're concerned about people standing on the edge and getting in trouble."

One man was killed last month when he was swept away by floodwaters near Quail Creek Reservoir.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com