HURRICANE, Utah (KUTV) — Hurricane City said they were prepared for flash flooding, but there was too much water coming from out of town.
Crews are on scene at the Pecan Townhomes this week to wash roads, remove damaged walls and furniture, and clear storm drains.
Hurricane City Manager Caden DeMille said it was an accumulation of water and debris from the east, outside city limits, that came pouring through the Gould Wash into town.
MORE: Video shows massive flooding, submerged vehicles in Hurricane neighborhood
“We've seen large trees and stumps that apparently have come from the east side of the city, up above,” DeMille said.
DeMille said there were no failures within Hurricane, and the wash was prepped for impact.
“We spend time in the wash during the winter months, cleaning it out, sending equipment up and down the wash, clearing out some of the debris, chopping it up so that it's smaller so that it's able to pass through the culverts and through the bridges that we have running throughout town,” DeMille said.
But knowing that water still reached this neighborhood, the city and local partner NRCS are working toward further prevention. They’ve applied to a federal program that would add a dry detention basin — the Gould Wash Flood Protection Project at the Warner Draw Watershed — on the east bench of Hurricane City, helping limit the water that flows from Colorado City and Apple Valley through Gould Wash.
“That dam would be put in place to help detain that water to the point where it would discharge it at a reasonable rate in something
that would be able to be sustainable by our wash,” DeMille said. "Part of the project would also be shoring up and protecting the wash here through Hurricane proper."
A USDA statement added that "the Project would reduce flooding in Hurricane City, protecting people, structures, transportation infrastructure, public utilities, and property from floodwater damage."
Hurricane City and NRCS are waiting on approval of their design in the next few weeks. Then, they’ll look toward securing $67 million of funding.
Brenna Stucki, a 5-month Pecan Townhome homeowner, hopes the city is ready to push the project forward.
“I feel like there's always got to be a sense of urgency. The weather is not going to wait. I'm trying to take the mindset of giving people grace because this isn't anyone's fault. Things happen, and it's how we handle it after,” Stucki said.
DeMille said the city has already added a detention basin with NRCS that alleviates runoff from Frog Hollow Wash, which could act as an example to the new project.
"That also was affected by this storm, and we saw a discharge of water taking place there, but it was at a reasonable amount, something that we had planned on, and that dam functioned as we expected," DeMille said. "The city continues to make efforts in ensuring that the waters are going where they're supposed to be, especially with our drainage facilities that we currently have in place."
To donate to victims of the flash flooding, a GoFundMe is available here.