Utah Flooding Causes More than $150 Million in Damages

Southwestern Utah has not been declared a federal disaster area despite more than $150 million in damages caused by flooding in mid-January. St. George and the surrounding areas in Washington County were the hardest hit after the Santa Clara River overflowed its banks, causing dozens of homes to flood or collapse into the river and causing one fatality. Total losses were also sustained in areas surrounding Southwestern Utah following heavy rainfall in the West.

Gordon Denison, vice president at St. George, Utah-based Certified Insurance Services Inc., said that the flooding area actually extended from Santa Clara and St. George down through Beaver Dam in Arizona and into Mesquite, Overton and Lake Mead in Nevada.

“A lot of homes were affected,” Denison said. “My understanding is that there are 50 homes that were lost or will be condemned, with more damaged. As you get down into the Arizona area and on into Mesquite and Overton, they actually had more homes sustain damage but they weren’t the type that wiped the house out. They had three or four feet of standing water in some places. They were flooded but by and large the houses weren’t totally taken off their foundations. They were a little more spectacular in the Santa Clara and St. George area just because of the nature of the way the banks gave away and houses literally collapsed.”

Jim Chesnutt, public information officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said that an assessment found that there is about $14 million in damages that will be eligible for federal funds. Chesnutt explained that eligible damages include damage to public infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

“The general guidelines for the President to declare public assistance for Utah is $2.5 million and the damage assessment found nearly $14 million,” Chesnutt said. “That’s not a reflection of the total damage because eligible damages only mean things that aren’t insured and something that’s not covered by another federal agency.”

On Jan. 27, Utah legislators approved a plan to give $25 million in low-interest loans to Washington County for river stabilization, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Lawmakers expect that Washington County will pay the loan back with federal disaster aid money.

“As of today the area has not been declared a federal emergency,” Chesnutt said. “It’s not unusual for it to take a couple of weeks after the request has gone in, but my sense is that the answer will be coming very soon. What’s a little more problematic is whether or not they’ll qualify for individual assistance for affected homeowners. The general guideline for that is 100 homes with major damage or totally destroyed.”

According to Chesnutt, only two homeowners had flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. Neither of these homeowners experienced a total loss, however. Those who owned homes that collapsed in the river were not covered by any type of insurance, he said.

“I think there’s a good chance that the area will be declared a federal disaster area just because of the lack of coverage and the significant amount of damage to the infrastructure,” Denison said. “A lot of these small communities simply don’t have the means to rebuild.”

Topics Flood Washington