Governor declares flooding emergency
BOISE – Heavy spring runoff and frequent spring rains have prompted Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to declare a statewide disaster flooding emergency.
Kempthorne made the declaration Friday evening, saying the state faced “peril to public safety and property which is likely to be beyond the control of Idaho’s county governments.”
On Saturday, the National Weather Service had issued flood warnings for Gooding, Blaine and Lincoln counties, as well as less urgent flood watches for Bear Lake, Bonneville, Caribou, Cassia, Franklin, Fremont, Oneida and Teton counties.
The governor’s flood declaration was a dramatic change from recent years, when several southern Idaho counties received drought emergency declarations each fall.
“Above-average snowpack in Idaho’s mountains, above-average spring precipitation, and a rise in temperatures has created an imminent threat of flooding along rivers and streams in Idaho,” Kempthorne said in a statement announcing the declaration.
The declaration allows state officials to administer disaster emergency account funds up to $50,000 to provide assistance to local agencies. The state of emergency lasts for 30 days, but it can be ended early or extended at the governor’s request.
In Blaine and Lincoln counties, forecasters with the National Weather Service said the Big Wood River downstream from Magic Reservoir was expected to have some minor flooding, putting homes and roads in low-lying areas at risk.
In Gooding County, the Big Wood River was expected to fill to the bank sometime Saturday, with minor flooding happening by this morning. By this afternoon, the water is expected to reach the level of the highway north of Gooding, the weather service warned.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sent an emergency management coordinator to Gooding to help emergency planners in nearby counties prepare for the flood threat, officials said.
“We received one request from the State of Idaho for assistance in Gooding, and we’ve stockpiled 25,000 sandbags at Lucky Peak Dam and have 50,000 more in storage at McNary Dam,” Jeff Stidham with the corps said in a prepared statement. “We’re watching rivers and streams throughout the district and staying in touch with local emergency officials so, if requested to, we can plan, prepare or act.”
Engineers from both the Corps of Engineers and the Department of Homeland Security have already helped alleviate the threat to the city of Gooding, said Bob Morgado, Gooding County Commissioner. Earlier this week, officials had been concerned that high flows from the Big Wood River could enter the Little Wood River, putting the town at risk.
“The city of Gooding is in no danger at this time,” Morgado told the Associated Press on Saturday. “The engineers assisted Lincoln County’s crew and got it accomplished. If the Big Wood entered the Little Wood, we would have had big problems, but I’m really confident that’s not going to happen now.”
Still, as many as 50 homes in the county still faced the risk of flooding from the Big Wood River, he said.
“We don’t expect anything until Monday or maybe Sunday night,” he said. “We’re getting a big storm in Sunday afternoon, and that could change things.”