Beaver hoping to avoid new problems after catastrophic flooding in July

BEAVER — City leaders said Monday that many families were still displaced by catastrophic flooding in July as they hoped a new thunderstorm threat would not add to the community's troubles.

Mayor Matt Robinson said Beaver received a couple of downpours early in the day on Monday that did not result in new flooding issues, and as of Monday evening, the heavy rains that were forecast as a possibility had not yet hit the area.

He said that the flooding event on July 19 left extensive damage through the city, particularly impacting the area known as the "Grove."

"The Grove was hit very hard," Robinson said during an interview with KSL. "I feel closely connected with the Grove. My parents still live in the Grove, as does one of my brothers. I think our residents of the Grove are doing relatively very well. Still a lot of work ahead, a lot of questions. In fact, many days it feels like there are a lot more questions than answers."

Robinson said a couple of homes may still end up being declared total losses, while repairs and renovations continue at numerous others.

He said since July, county and city crews have worked tirelessly to shore up river banks and clear channels of debris.

"Knock on wood, at least at this moment, the debris and the mud and the water seem to be flowing a little bit better or less encumbered than they were that day, that Sunday afternoon, July 19," Robinson said.

Still, he said the likelihood of a future flooding event in the coming months or even years was high, whether the heavy rains forecast this week avoid the area or not.

"The threat of additional flooding is high," Robinson said. "We're aware of that, and we're working to mitigate that as best we can, but the debris and water seem to be flowing a little bit better."

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