Cleanup Efforts Continue After St. George Flash Flooding

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday traveled to St. George to survey the damage from flash flooding Sunday night as crews continued cleanup efforts across the city.

“We do know that there is property damage,” Herbert said during the tour. “The city’s working on that and there’s probably 15 or 20 homes that have flooding and we need to see what we can do to help them.”

Herbert tweeted early Monday afternoon that he visited with city officials, and he praised the response to the thunderstorms.

“Response teams have done a tremendous job responding to the flooding and enabling roads to be reopened,” he tweeted.

I had the opportunity to visit today with @CityofStgeorge officials to survey the damage caused by severe thunderstorms. Response teams have done a tremendous job responding to the flooding and enabling roads to be reopened. #utwx pic.twitter.com/fz6Mb7AfQj

— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) August 24, 2020

St. George police on Sunday asked residents to stay indoors if possible, and multiple vehicles ended up stranded and unable to pass due to rising waters on the roads. Authorities were handing out sandbags, and a section of the high-traffic Red Hill Parkway was closed Monday morning due to cleanup efforts.

“This hit so quickly and so hard,” said St. George Mayor Jon Pike. “We’ll continue to assess the damage and do the best we can to make quick repairs.”

At 9:15 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service issued an urban and small stream flood advisory for St. George that lasted through midnight.

Multiple KSL TV viewers submitted photos and videos of the flooding as it happened, and emergency services reported downed power lines and sinkholes.

One sinkhole opened up in the parking lot of a Ramada Inn, swallowing a parked vehicle.

Business owners on Red Rock Road said the drainage system in the area needs to be improved.

“The water came in through the back door,” said Sam Fischer, owner of Core Concepts Cabinetry.

Fischer said the floodwater ruined thousands of dollars of cabinets that were being built for a new home. He says this is the third time his business has flooded.

“It’s basically firewood now,” he said of the cabinets damaged by floodwaters. “I can’t keep absorbing the costs. The first two times I just absorbed the costs but this time’s a little worse.”