Washington County emergency crews prepare for more possible flooding

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — The National Weather Service has issued an increased flash flood threat for southern Utah, and after seeing flooding in areas like Pine Valley and Gunlock over the weekend, officials said they’re already taking action to keep residents safe.

Over the past few days, heavy rain has already caused flooding in parts of Washington County. Now, with more storms on the way, emergency crews are getting ahead of it before conditions worsen.

“What we’re doing is we’re back out doing sandbagging and staging and placing some of our different employees up in the area to make sure that we’re monitoring what’s happening,” Bridgette Butynski with Washington County Emergency Services told ABC4.

Crews have been monitoring low-lying areas and setting up sandbags around flood-prone communities like Pine Valley and Gunlock, both of which saw water rushing across roads on Friday night.

“We do know the areas prone to flooding now after having the flood and watching how the water is traveling,” Butynski said. “We’re working the best we can with County Roads, with the Emergency Management Department, and with Pine Valley Fire Department and with the residents that live in Pine Valley, hopefully to prep them as we move forward.”

But while crews are ready to respond, Butynski said that the biggest factor still depends on what mother nature does next.

“The ground is already saturated,” she explained. “It will make a difference but also depends on how much rain falls. It’s not just the location of how it falls, but how much rain actually falls is what we’re concerned about, and where it falls.”

She also reminded drivers to stay out of floodwaters, saying some residents tried to cross over the weekend, luckily without getting stuck.

“If there are floodwaters in the area, please, don’t go through them. You don’t know how deep it is. You might think you do, but then you really don’t, because what looks like it could be six inches could be, you know, a foot, or eight inches,” Butynski said.

With more rain expected through the week, officials said to keep an eye on weather alerts and be ready to move quickly if conditions change.