Utah Soldiers Help With Flooding Preparations
Oct 2, 2018, 12:55 PM
PAYSON, Utah – Utah National Guard members have been activated to help with flooding preparations in Southern Utah County.
About 200 soldiers reported Tuesday to the Spanish Fork Armory.
Some soldiers will help with bulldozer operations, diverting water away from wildfire burn scar areas.
Maj. Ryan Robison said others will be assisting the three automatic sandbagging machines at Oak Hills Park in Payson. The bags will go to protect homes in Covered Bridge, Loafer Canyon and Payson.
“We all live in the communities,” he said. “We’re here to help the communities, to support the communities. We’re neighbors just like everybody else. We want to make sure that the residents of Utah are safe,” he said.
The soldier were briefed Tuesday morning and then deployed to different areas.
“The benefit of being a citizen soldier is being able to do what we’re doing now and take care of our neighbors, the community, and those who live in the state of Utah — no matter what the means is,” Robison said.
He said they’re expected to help as long as the state needs them.
“They’re prepared to help the community in any way possible,” Robison said. “It may not be their specific job duty that they train for, for war time, but we have the capability to help them during a natural disaster — or potential natural disaster, as this might be when it comes to flooding.”