Gov. Herbert Declares State Of Emergency After Windstorm

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gov. Gary Herbert issued a state of emergency order to help Utah access state and federal funds as clean-up continues following Tuesday’s windstorm.

Herbert announced the declaration Wednesday after he toured Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood with Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

“Probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen — big, old-growth trees like this just toppled down,” said resident Brian Bullough.

.@govherbert, @SHollinsD23, @senatorluz, @slccouncil’s James Rogers & I just finished touring Rose Park, one of the City’s neighborhoods hit hard by the storm. The scale of destruction is hard to fathom. We’re committed as leaders to helping all of our City’s communities recover pic.twitter.com/9apfQJWwEf

— SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) September 9, 2020

“This emergency has impacted residents in several counties. We have seen damage to homes, to critical infrastructures and to the environment,” Herbert said. “Issuing this declaration expedites the use of state resources and federal resources, as they are needed. I am impressed by all the Utahns who are stepping up to clear debris from their homes and neighborhoods. We stand together in our efforts to clean up, rebuild and move forward.”

Salt Lake and Davis counties have also issued local emergency declarations, along with seven cities.

We’ve seen crews from South Jordan and Herriman helping with tree removal/cleanup in Rose Park this evening… @KSL5TV #KSLTV #Utah pic.twitter.com/NW2OaOIENy

— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) September 10, 2020

“The decision to issue the DOE was based on multiple concerns, including the extent of damage, anticipated need for resources and cost of recovery,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said in a letter to other mayors within the county.

Resident George Lassche said he hadn’t seen anything like this during the 51 years he’s lived in his home.

“All of a sudden we hear ‘boom’ — it hit the house,” he said. “And we thought it was an earthquake. My wife jumped out of her pants, just about.”

Wilson also provided details for free green waste disposal at the Salt Lake Valley Landfill. Disposal fees for residential, non-commercial loads of weather-related green waste will be waived until 12 p.m. on September 23.

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said those declarations, combined with the governor’s order, open avenues for Utah to receive financial assistance and aid during clean-up efforts.

Anderson also urged Utahns to be careful while cleaning up debris and to check for any downed power lines.

“These trees are heavy,” he said. “There’s no way of guessing which way they may fall, but just be super careful as you continue to do the cleanup — and we do it the Utah way. We have volunteers that are willing to pitch in and come together and helping out all of our first responders.”