Utah homes could face flooding issues as weather warms up

CACHE COUNTY, Utah — Several communities are asking homeowners to prepare for possible flooding as the weather warms up.

Zack Craghead is among the people concerned that they could have a lot on their plates in the coming days.

“If it all comes at once, it’s going to be a lot of water,” Craghead said.

Craghead is a co-owner at Mike Knorr plumbing, and he’s seeing neighborhoods like this one in Mendon, Utah, where the snow is high and, in many cases, close to homes.

“All that ice builds up, and you know, double-check your rain gutters, make sure that moisture is coming away from the house as much as you can,” he explained.

Craghead is making sure a new sump pump is ready for one homeowner today, but back at the shop, they are stocking up for what they expect to be a hectic time ahead.

“We know that when it hits and when it warms up, we’re going to, yeah, be at wits-end again,” he said.

In 2017, Box Elder County saw repeated flooding events in fields, homes, and sewage lines. Craghead says homeowners should check their sewage valves and ensure the rubber stopper is working.

“(It) was a bad year for flooding in this area, and yes, I think it will happen again,” Craghead expressed.

Many other communities are being put on notice too. Harrisville City is now joining several others in preparing free sandbags for homeowners.

“If your home is in a low spot and you can see where some runoff is going to come off, we ask you to dam up that piece of your property,” said Justin Shinsel, public works director for the City of Harrisville.

Those sandbags will be available at Harrisville park starting Mar. 10. The city is also looking for volunteers to help fill them.

“We’re doing this free of cost to our residents. We’re just trying to protect them prior to these rain events and more moisture that’s coming here in the next few weeks,” Shinsel said.