Shoshone County seeks emergency funding
Monday's flood conditions elevated Shoshone County into a state of emergency, which remains in effect indefinitely as county employees continue making emergency repairs and begin to assess the damage caused by the drastic rise in water levels on the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers.
According to John Specht, Shoshone County emergency manager, the effects of Monday's flood will continue to be felt by county residents as they are left with the damage left behind by receding waters.
A state of emergency was declared by the county Monday and turned in to Gov. Butch Otter's office in the form of a request for him to also declare a state of emergency on the state level. The governor will take into consideration the dollar limitation of the damage done and the possibility of multiple counties involved in the flood event. A call to the governor's office was not returned by press time Tuesday.
A dollar amount has yet to be assigned to the damage caused by the flood, said Specht, as crews continue to work on emergency repairs and the assessment. The decision to enter a state of emergency allows the county to go after help beyond what the normal county budget can support, according to Specht. Possible reimbursement for damage to public property, including roads and bridges, will be sought through the state.
The Coeur d'Alene River crested at midnight Monday and has receded one foot at Enaville and six inches at Cataldo, Specht said. The St. Joe River at Calder also crested at midnight Monday and is receding, although at St. Maries the water continued to rise to a crest Tuesday.
The Old River Road between mileposts 2 and 19 will remain closed through this afternoon. Water still sat on the roadway as of 10 a.m. Tuesday. Before reopening the road to traffic, crews must be sure the water is gone and assess the road for damage and safety.
Two different teams were out assessing damage Tuesday, along with road crews from Smelterville, Osburn and Marble Creek performing emergency work to prevent further damage.
Specht urges residents in the affected areas to maintain general safety measures and to not drive through standing water as there is no telling the condition of the road underneath muddy water.
Ed Moreen, a project manager for the Environmental Protection Agency, said the East Mission Flats repository near Cataldo was not affected by the flooding. Moreen said he visited the site Tuesday, and there was no sign of hazardous materials leaching into the river water or the ground.
"When (EPA) sited that repository at East Mission Flats, we knew it was going to flood," Moreen said. "We knew it was a floodplain. No surprises today."
The repository was working as designed, he said, with water flowing harmlessly through culverts and into proper channels. EPA will watch the repository closely as the floodwaters subside.
"We're going to continue to monitor," Moreen said. "We're going to continue to keep our finger on the pulse."
Repairing the damage of one day of floods will take time, Specht said.