Flooding devastates park, local areas

The forecast for north-central Montana calls for the region to dry out for at least a few days, but two weeks of steady rain has already caused extensive damage and some creeks are expected to continue to rise for some time.

Chad Edgar, superintendent of Beaver Creek Park, said the park received 13 ½ inches of rain since May 16. Edgar still is in the process of working on repairing damage from federally declared flood disasters in 2010 and 2011.

“I’m still kind of in shock, so bear with me,” he said Monday during the monthly meeting of the Hill County Park Board.

Joe Parenteau, Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator, said Monday afternoon that he had met with Hill County commissioners. Commissioners plan to issue an emergency declaration, and would consider issuing a disaster declaration after further assessment of the damage.

If a disaster declaration is made, the county could request state and federal assistance to help with recovery efforts.

Tony Woods, public information officer for Chippewa Cree Tribe Media Group, said in an email late Monday afternoon that the tribal government planned a public meeting at 10 this morning to announce it was declaring a disaster on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

Rocky Boy also was declared a federal disaster area due to the flooding in 2010 and 2011.

Throughout the region, roads have been washed out or covered in water, lowlands have been flooded, and numerous people in the area are reporting extensive flooding with water in basements and leaky roofs.

National Weather Service issued flood watches, warnings and advisories for much of north-central and central Montana and further east starting late last week, and this morning had extended the warning through noon today.

The warning runs from Cascade and eastern Chouteau and Hill counties through parts of North Dakota.

Weather Service reports flooding including in parts of Hill and Blaine counties north of the Bear Paw Mountains, although the high level of many streams originating in those and the Highwood, Judith and Snowy mountains have started to recede.

Levels of Big Sandy Creek that flows into the Milk River west of Havre and Clear Creek that runs through Blaine County from the Bear Paws into the Milk are expected to continue to rise through Wednesday.

Flooding on Beaver Creek again has been extensive, flooding areas downstream from Beaver Creek Reservoir as well as in the park.

Beaver Creek Golf course was inundated, with most of the course under water.