Brace For Flooding, Owners Of Lake Homes Warned Friends Asked To Call Nonresidents; No-Wake Speed Urged On Waterways

Owners of lakeside cabins or summer homes should visit their property and make flood preparations, emergency officials said Friday.

“If you own a lake cabin, you need to take a look at it…to take necessary precautions,” said Sandy Von Behren, operations coordinator for Kootenai County Disaster Services.

Von Behren also asked friends and acquaintances of cabin owners who live out of state to call and let them know about the danger of flooding.

“Last year, some of these people came back with no idea whatsoever that they had even flooded,” she said.

Lake Coeur d’Alene is expected to stay at an elevation close to 2,134 feet through the middle of next week, which is 6 feet above summer level.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and Disaster Services have asked that boaters maintain a no-wake speed on all county waterways during the period of high water to reduce damage to the shoreline.

Waves pounding the shore of Archie and Sallie Bohn’s Hayden Lake property have nearly washed a storage shed into the lake, said Archie Bohn.

“It was washing out the bank there,” he said.

The Coeur d’Alene River was almost 2 feet below flood stage on Friday, and the St. Joe River was almost 3 feet above flood stage in St. Maries.

State Highway 3 will be closed just north of St. Maries all weekend and part of Monday as the county and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers make emergency improvements to the Meadowhurst levee.

Traffic will be routed along a detour by a pilot car. The river is expected to drop slightly during the weekend but reach 2,136 feet - 3-1/2 feet above flood stage - by midweek.

Disaster officials also reminded flood-threatened residents to purchase flood insurance. The insurance isn’t effective until 30 days after purchase.

, DataTimes