Mud, Debris Flood Highland Homes After Rain
Oct 5, 2018, 2:32 PM
HIGHLAND, Utah – Cleanup continued Friday after overnight rains began to flood Highland homes.
The water washed mud and debris down from a two-year-old burn scar, which sent a river directly into two residents’ basements.
“There was a wall of water about 6-foot wide coming over our back rock wall and then dropping down into our walkout basement,” said Casey Foote, whose basement was flooded.
Foote said the water poured into the walkout basement and started filling it up. After it reached three or four feet, it burst through the door.
Neighbors were helping neighbors after mud and debris began to flood Highland homes Thursday night.
“It was dead bolted,” Foote said, “but there was just so much pressure against the deadbolt that the wood frame of the door just ripped apart and flew open.”
Within seconds, Foote’s newly-remodeled basement was flooded, as well as his next door neighbor’s, with a mixture of water, mud and debris.
Foote was at work at the time. He said he had a panicked wife and kids calling him at about 6 p.m.. Once he arrived home, the mess was overwhelming.
“Everybody was just in shock saying, ‘What do you do? What do you do when you’ve got a wall of water coming into your backyard?’” Foote said.
Thanks to neighbors helping neighbors, they were able to get all the water out before Lone Peak Fire and Highland City showed up to mitigate and start sandbagging. At one point, more than 200 people were there working to clean up.
“I mean, its 1,700 square feet, 8 inches of water,” Foote said. “When enough people showed up, we had a bucket brigade door going out the back door and the side windows. The generosity and willingness to help with the neighborhood is quite overwhelming.”
Lone Peak Fire and Highland City Public Works created a line of defense with sand bags around a total of six homes in preparation for more rain forecasted for the weekend.
