Saturday night update: Rocky Boy copes with serious floods

John Kelleher

Havre Daily News

[email protected]

Rocky Boy officials Saturday night were dealing with serious flooding on the reservation.

Bridges were washed out and some evacuations were reported. Water was reported overflowing on the Rocky Boy Dam.

"We urge all tribal residents to remain calm as the tribe is mobilized to accommodate this emergency activity — and work with local tribal departments during this high-water incident."

In a press release issued on Saturday night, the Chippewa Cree Tribe said that all emergency services are being notified and readied.

Tribal officials said a flood emergency was in effect until further notice.

The National Weather Service said a flood advisory was in effect until Monday morning, and high water was reported in streams throughout the area, though none as severe as in Rocky Boy.

Lifelong Rocky Boy resident Misty Denny said she had observed floods on the reservation several times, "but I've never seen anything like this. This is the worst."

The Tribe has established an incident command post at the Natural Resources Department.

Tribal Disaster Emergency Services Coordinator Curtis Monteau is the incident commander.

The Jon Morsette Vo-Tech Center is being made available for people who are displaced by the flooding.

An emergency-travel-only order was issued for the following roads:�

• Essential traffic only is allowed on Loredo Road to Highway 87.
• Parker Canyon is one-lane only. Repairs are being made.
• All access to the Rocky Boy Health Center is closed except for emergency vehicles.

• Problems were reported on Haystack Road, and caution is urged.
• However, Loredo Road from Highway 87 to the Rocky Boy Agency is once again open to all traffic. The road was closed on Friday night and Saturday morning

  Residents are urged to contact (406) 395-4513 or (406) 395-4513 for information concerning the flood. The storm cell that caused the flooding is believed to have passed at 5 p.m., Tribal officials said.

The weather service urged people to "turn around, not drown."

If people see flooding on roadways, they should not try to drive through it, NWS warned.

(The Havre Daily News is looking for Rocky Boy residents who can share their accounts of the flooding. Please call John Kelleher at (406) 390-0798 or at [email protected]. Updates on the flood will be posted on our website, havredailynews.com, throughout the weekend.)