‘A crazy freak storm’; Carbon County cleaning up after weekend hail damage, flooding
Aug 27, 2024, 9:14 AM | Updated: 11:59 am
Cleanup efforts are still underway after a massive storm caused golf ball-sized hail and damaging flooding hit Carbon County in August 2024. (Courtesy: Stephanie Ariotti-Puliese)
(Courtesy: Stephanie Ariotti-Puliese)
HELPER — City officials in Helper said Monday cleanup efforts would likely continue into September after the community suffered damage from flooding and hail during a powerful weekend storm.
Cleanup crews were planning to shut down sections of a few roads at the north end of town Tuesday to sweep away a layer of dirt that was already creating dusty conditions.
“What we’ll do is get a sweep in to kind of clear up the dust because it’s just kind of turning into a dust bowl at this point,” Mayor Lenise Peterman said. “We did five dump-loads yesterday just scraping up mud from the underpass and on the north end of Main Street.”
Cleanup efforts are still underway after a massive storm caused golf ball-sized hail and damaging flooding hit Carbon County in August 2024. (Courtesy: Mark Montoya and Stephanie Ariotti-Puliese)
Peterman said the city, in conjunction with Carbon County emergency managers, would bring in specialized equipment to help clear caked debris, rocks and mud out of washes and culverts the following week.
“That’s obviously what’s next is making sure our drainage system can drain,” Peterman said.
Resident Mark Montoya was on Main Street Monday when the storm yielded golf ball-sized hail.
“So every neon sign in town got busted,” he said as he escorted a KSL crew through the city. “It was a crazy freak storm.”
Cleanup efforts are still underway after a massive storm caused golf ball-sized hail and damaging flooding hit Carbon County in August 2024. (Jack Grimm, KSL TV)
He said the storm then started dumping rain. Soon, he and others around town used their phones to capture flood waters pushing through and overwhelming some areas, including an underpass on Janet Street.
“All of this area was under a good 4 to 6 inches of water,” Montoya said as he passed over one road on the way to a wash closer to the Price River. “When I came down here, it was completely coming over the walking bridge there.”
Peterman said the town avoided flooding in basements and overall fared far better than it did during a similar weather event roughly 12 years earlier — an outcome due in part to improvements that were subsequently made.
“We think the systems are working,” Peterman said. “This culvert work was funded through NRCS, which is an emergency group for flooding events, so I’m pleased that it worked. I hate that we have a messy main street, but I’d rather clean up mud and muck than have people suffer damages or harm with a storm like that.”
Montoya was also grateful nobody was harmed during the powerful storm and flooding.
“Definitely respect water,” Montoya said. “It’s got a mind of its own. It will do whatever it wants.”
