Flooding damages Washington County homes, leads to rescues

Heavy rain in southern Utah has damaged a half dozen homes, swept away bridges, led to evacuations and roof-top rescues of residents.

Washington County officials at this time have received no report of injuries, but it is unclear if anyone is missing.

Sheriff's Lt. Jake Adams said the downpour caused flooding at the confluence of Kolob Creek and the Virgin River, leading to flooding in portions of an RV park. The flooding led to the closure of state Route 9 for two hours and severely damaged six homes in the Staples subdivision.

Swift-moving water washed away trees and left livestock unaccounted for. Cars were also swept downstream and some recreational vehicles are missing.

Kolob Canyon Road, which leads to many summer homes, is closed.

Members of the sheriff's department had to conduct a "swift water rescue" to pluck people to safety. There were reports of homes damaged in Gunlock and a bridge that had been washed away.

The National Weather Service reported that up to 3 inches of rain fell in parts of Washington County within an hour Wednesday afternoon.

In mountain areas of the state, between 1.5 and 2.5 inches fell, also within about an hour. Mike Conger, the weather service lead forecaster, predicted that heavy rains were over by about 9 p.m. but significant runoff from the Santa Clara and Virgin rivers would continue to flow into the county until 1 a.m. today. A flash flood warning has been issued for the county until that time.