National Guard Deployed To Help With Storm Cleanup In Hard-Hit Utah Communities
Sep 11, 2020, 8:58 AM | Updated: 9:17 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Across the Wasatch Front, cleanup efforts continue following devastating storms earlier in the week.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the city lost an estimated 1,000 trees from the windstorm. She said it’s a huge loss, as a number of them were tall and mature.
When the cleanup is done, the replanting will begin, she said.
That cleanup, though, is shaping up to be a difficult task.
Damage is extensive on Salt Lake City’s west side. On Friday, though, the Utah National Guard began lending a helping hand.
The Guard deployed to six communities in northern Utah that were hit especially hard. The cleanup will continue until Sept. 14.
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox joined UDOT and Gov. Gary Herbert’s staff in Rose Park to help pick up debris.
“It’s every street,” Cox said. “It’s just amazing how this hit and how much devastation it is. We’ll spend an hour and move barely a half-block. We’ve got heavy equipment, we’ve got lots of people here working together. It’s just incredible. It’s going to take weeks, months to get all of this taken care of.”