Small Town News

County clean-up priorities discussed

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People, property top concerns

Areas such as Wildhorse and Goodrich are the top priorities for Adams County officials as they attempt to do what they can to cleanup the mess left by flash floods late last week.

"The top priority is obviously where people are," said Commissioner Mike Paradis.

"We're trying to prioritize things," said Emergency Coordinator. "It's going to take a long time, though. The road crews will be busy all summer.

The Idaho National Guard provided a helicopter on Monday to take county officials up into the air to assess the damage.

"It's sobering the amount of damage that can happen in a short amount of time," said Paradis. "At the same time, it could have been worse."

There have been no reports of any bodily harm or serious injuries to humans, though stories circulated about a dog being swept away and several fawns and a doe being found dead after succumbing to a gully washer.

County officials have yet to have the opportunity to sit down with Forest Service personnel and get a firm grasp on how the two agencies will coordinate their repair efforts.

Paradis admitted that certain roads that are used heavily for recreation, for instance the Middle Fork road, will be down on the priority list.

"It's not just a natural disaster," added Don Horton. "It might be an economic disaster. It will affect logging and recreation."

Regardless, the county will have a big job on their hands, and despite not fully knowing where the funding will be coming from, they have no choice to fix all the roads within their jurisdiction.

"They've got to be fixed, period," said Paradis.



Copyright 2010 The Adams County Record, Council, Idaho. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 The Adams County Record Council, Idaho. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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