Flooding Havoc
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www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELETRANSCRIPT Fallen sons of Grantsville paid tribute at cemetery See B1 BULLETIN May 31, 2005 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 112 NO. 2 50 cents Record-breaking deluge pounds Tooele Hail, rain, runoff turn roads into rivers, create flooding havoc by Mark Watson and Karen Hunt STAFF WRITERS Mother Nature saved her best punch for Memorial Day morning. She hit hard, fast and furious. Meteorologists report 3.71 inches of precipitation fell Sunday evening though Monday morning, creating record high rainfall for a 24- hour period. Most fell between 6:30 - 10:30 a.m. Monday. The outburst followed record amounts of snow and rain during the first five months of 2005. It was the beginning of a morning that would create flooding problems for hun- dreds of Tooele homeowners, businesses, schools and relief workers. “We’ve had several dozens of people call with flooding problems,” said Tooele Mayor Charlie Roberts Monday morning. “The problems are all over town. It was just too much water in too short of time.” At the height of the storm, Tooele’s Main Street had been transformed into a shallow river. photography / Troy Boman Ed Criplen hands off a sandbag near the west end of 700 South Monday morning to one of hundreds of volunteers who helped minimize flood damage. Dan Martin (below) who Kathryn Faudree went to lives on 425 West in Tooele, looks out the window in his daughter’s bedroom. The window was blown out by flood waters throwing glass and covering the basement with three work at Tooele Floral on Main feet of flood debris early Monday morning. Fortunately his daughter was staying in Salt Lake City, saving her from possible injury. Street at 6 a.m. Monday morn- ing. It was raining, but she suspected nothing unusual. But by 6:30 a.m., torrents were Tempest impacts entire valley coming down. As she watched the hail and listened to the by Karen Lee Scott Though a severe thunderstorm Management. He said most of the thunder, she noticed some- STAFF WRITER warning was issued by National damage happened during the first thing else — her car parked Monday’s triple combination Weather Service (NWS) three times hour of the monstrous storm and next to the street was floating punch of hail, lightning and gushing before 6 a.m. on Monday, not much that almost everyone was caught off away. water certainly wasn’t limited to one could be done to ebb the power of guard. She went outside to stop it, area in Tooele County. Homes, busi- the storm. The total cost of destruction has but the deep water along the nesses, railroad tracks, and several “It was so quick I don’t even think yet to be tallied, but fortunately no curb kept knocking her down. schools were damaged by the sudden the weather forecasters knew what serious injuries were caused by the Her son-in-law Clint McInns rage and some 3,188 customers were this storm was going to bring,” said two-hour plus long storm and its finally stopped the car. left without power for at least part of Wade Mathews, Public Information After the storm had ended the day. Officer for Tooele County Emergency SEE STORM ON A4 and the water receded, resi- dents report the debris left behind looked like a dump truck had strewn rocks and Storm brings out flood of volunteers dirt down Main Street. Other streets throughout the city by Karen Hunt muscles. Inmates from Tooele County jail looked the same, but many STAFF WRITER Tooele County Emergency filled sandbags along with 100 more residents woke up to find their Beginning, about 7 a.m. yesterday Management was activated. Members of volunteers with the city. Memorial Day plans were sud- phones starting ringing at dispatch. North Tooele County Fire Department Tooele County Roads division of the denly changed as they discov- Flood victims were asking for help. helped out and ham radio owners engineering department, along with ered flooded basements and The county united to respond. with West Desert Amateur Radio Club County Engineer Jim Lawrence, the buildings. Friends and strangers, young and old, acted as spare eyes and ears providing mayor, and numerous other city offi- male and female traded their Memorial updates on flooding conditions through- SEE FLOODING ON A2 Day plans for wet clothes and tired out the county. SEE VOLUNTEERS ON A8 Governor helps dedicate Tooele Memorial Square By Mark Watson nation of three years of work by veterans. In war, life is just not STAFF WRITER Tooele Elks Lodge and Tooele City taken, it is brutally taken,” he said. Tooele Elks Lodge members made to provide a park and monument in About 750 people crowded Memorial Day 2005 extra memo- honor of veterans. around the perimeter of the park rable Monday when they conducted Speakers at the dedication were during the dedication ceremony. It a stirring dedication ceremony to serious and somber in their remarks rained for several hours up until the open Tooele Veterans Square on the as they recognized the importance start of the ceremony at 1 p.m., but corner of Main and Vine streets. of sacrifices veterans have made it did not rain during the dedica- “It was very moving and inspira- in protecting the freedom and qual- tion. tional,” said Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. ity of life for citizens of the United Dennis Putnam introduced spe- after the dedication. States. cial guests and outlined the pro- The governor spoke at the cer- “I hope young people recognize gram. He recognized the efforts of emony, led preschool children in what is being done here. This is Elks Lodge member Dave McCall the Pledge of Allegiance and lit the sacred ground,” the governor said. and Leslie Peterson who worked eternal flame at Veterans Memorial Huntsman recounted events where with City Parks Director Casey veterans from Utah paid the ulti- Allie and Kathy Harris in an effort Monument on the south side of the photography / Troy Boman park. mate sacrifice. “Uncommon valor is Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. was joined by preschoolers for the Pledge of Allegiance at the Tooele Veterans The dedication was the culmi- a very common virtue among these SEE SQUARE ON A5 Memorial Square dedication ceremony Monday afternoon. WEATHER OPEN FORUM A6 DOINGS B2 INSIDE Partly cloudy tonight. Lows in OBITUARIES A7 TV LISTINGS B6 Deseret Peak Stampede features the lower 50s. Partly cloudy with top talent and entertainers a chance of rain Wednesday. SPORTS A10 CROSSWORD B6 See A10 Complete Forecast: A2 HOMETOWN B1 CLASSIFIEDS B8 A2 TUESDAY May 31, 2005 ETCETERA ... News Briefs Valley Weather Forecast Three agricultural turns Local Weather available in Grantsville Wed 72/48 Grantsville Irrigation 6/1 Company has announced there Partly cloudy with isolated thunder- are three use or lose agricultural storms possible. High 72F. turns until June 15. Temps/Precipitation Thu 64/43 Date High Low (prec./inches) 6/2 May 26 74 49 Rain and thunder. Highs in the mid May 27 79 50 60s and lows in the low 40s. May 28 84 56 May 29 82 54 trace May 30 80 40 3.71 Fri 63/45 Ned Bevan, Tooele’s weather observer 6/3 for the National Weather Service, reports that his recording station at 139 S. Main Partly cloudy, chance of a thunder- received 3.71 inches of precipitation storm. between May 26 and May 30 and a total of 7.51 so far this month. The normal for May is 1.91 inches. For the water year, which began Oct. Sat 69/47 1, 2004, Tooele has received 22.99 inches 6/4 of precipitation. The normal for the year is Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the 18.49 inches of precipitation. upper 60s and lows in the upper Pollen Count 40s. The pollen counts from the Intermountain Allergy and Sun 73/50 Asthma Clinic in Salt Lake City 6/5 as of May 31, 2005 were as fol- Isolated thunderstorms. Highs in lows: the low 70s and lows in the low Grass — High 50s. Mold — Moderate ©2005 American Profile Hometown Content Oak — Low Service Mulberry — Low Cedar — Low Subscriber Service Birch — Low If you haven’t received Sycamore — Low Chenopods — Low your newspaper by 6:30 p.m., Dock — Low please call 882-0050 and our cus- tomer representative will assist you. Customer service hours on Subscribe Today Tuesday and Thursday nights 882-0050 are 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. photography / Troy Boman Tooele Mayor Charlie Roberts describes the culprit culverts to a member of the media on Saturday. When structurally sound the culvert (located near 700 South and 380 West) would drain runoff from Settlement Canyon. While the culvert is being repaired, water is being diverted down 700 South (below) in Tooele. City shops. Flooding City workers reported that 30 Monday’s early morning del- feet up the stairs. He ran and got continued from page A1 different pickup trucks showed uge pushed water into yards his wife and son. Their daugh- up Monday to haul sandbags to and down basements all along ter, who usually slept directly “This just feels like the repeat problem spots. 700 South. More than 250 vol- below one broken-in window, of the floods of ‘83-’84,” Karen In addition Tooele County unteers in the 700 South area was staying in Salt Lake. Glass Elkington said. Emergency Management pro- helped save the area from even shards from the window were Flooding problems caused by vided 500 filled sandbags to worse flooding by sandbagging found in the closet clear across the rains were also compounded stop flooding and 5,100 addi- the street.