Weather emergency declared

SANDPOINT - Bonner County commissioners declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to weather-related damage to public roads.

The board adopted a resolution which cites excessive runoff from snowpack, freeze-and-thaw cycles, rain-on-snow events, and soil saturation as the cause of road damage, culvert failures and mudslides. Additional runoff is expected to exacerbate the problems which the county lacks the financial capability to repair.

The declaration could qualify the county for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Bob Howard, director of Emergency Management for Bonner County, said county officials are in the process of drawing up a damage estimate for the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security.

"They want it posthaste - as soon as possible - so they can get this rolling," said Howard.

In order to qualify for the federal assistance, there would have to be more than $1.6 million in damages throughout the state, said Jay Baker, Panhandle field officer for the state Bureau of Homeland Security.