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Floodwaters subsiding, officials still urging caution

With the levels of creeks and rivers subsiding, officials are going into full recovery mode following flooding in the last two weeks, although the complete impacts are still unknown and local residents are urged to be cautious.

The costs of initial damage from an assessment at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation have been released, with the total damage listed at $6 million and $2.3 million of that eligible for federal assistance, state Disaster and Eme r g e n c y S e r v i c e s Pu b l i c Information Officer Monique Lay said this morning.

The most significant flooding occurred on Rocky Boy, resulting in roads, bridges and culverts being washed out , water l ines being destroyed, concern that water pooling at a road next to a dam could lead to dam failure, and some 40 residences being evacuated to Havre.

A government assessment team led b y t h e Fe d e r a l Eme r g e n c y Management Agency was at Rocky Boy last week and weekend, and Lay said Gov. Brian Schweitzer will use those figures to request that President Barack Obama declare the area a federal disaster, which will allow the government to help with the eligible expenses.

"A lot of what was damaged was insured, which is good news," Lay said.

Properties insured, such as the new $12 million clinic that was extensively damaged by the flooding, are not eligible for federal disaster assistance.

Because the damage occurred on a sovereign Indian reservation, the governor cannot declare the area a disaster and cannot use state disaster or emergency funds in rebuilding efforts.

Rocky Boy officials have said they are now in recovery mode, with the week of dry weather allowing work to be done to drain an area that could have led to the failure of a dam, reconnect water lines, repair damaged roads, build new access roads, set up a temporary clinic and work with federal officials to assess the damage.

The process of bringing about 40 families, evacuated due to the flooding, back to the reservation has begun, with some families already having returned to their residences.

In Blaine County, Commissioner Vic Miller, public information officer for the county government, said Monday the waters in the Milk River and its tributaries seem to be subsiding, but he urged caution near the river.

Miller said children and adults have been near or in the water in the river.

However, the river's condition including the speed and unpredictability of the currents, make the river very dangerous, Miller said, and recommended that people use the public swimming pools instead.

"Accidental drowning is a concern," Miller said.

The county is keeping its flood advisory in effect through Thursday in the interest of maintaining safety as well as giving the county more time to assess damages, he said.

Miller said the damage is not expected to be enough to trigger an emergency situation declaration.

"However, we do know that the lowlevel flooding has caused some agricultural damage," Miller added. "We will not be sure of road, road bed or culvert problems until we have drier condiTions." In Hi l l County, County Commi s s i on Cha i r Mi ke Wendland said work is under way to repair damage. He added that the recent flood appears to have caused less damage than the May flooding.

"We're looking pretty good," he said. "The waters are down,and now it's just a matter of going back and repairing the damage." He said the new flooding on Beaver Creek Park did damage some repair work that already had been completed. The park employees are back out working on the facilities again, he added.

The most recent flooding did cause some damage on Sucker Creek Road in the southeastern part of the county, and led to the temporary closure of Cottonwood Road, he said.

Wendland said the county is hoping to be eligible for some disaster aid funding, but whether that occurs will not be known for some time.

Lay said the total amount at Rocky Boy also will not be known immediately. Much of the soil is saturated, and as it dries new settling could occur, causing new damage, and other damage could be discovered, she said.

New or additional damage discovered will be included in the request for the presidential disaster declaration, Lay added.

 

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