Moab residents and business owners begin clean up after Saturday night’s flooding

MOAB, Utah — It was a busy Saturday afternoon in Moab as crews work to move mud, trees and other debris from roads, businesses and homes after flash floods took over Main Street and surrounding areas Saturday night.

Moab’s mayor declared a state of emergency after dozens of businesses and homes were flooded. All Moab trails, street entrances and bridges were closed as crews and the community work to clean up, and some were still without water.

A mixture of flood water, mud, rocks and entire trees gushed over bridges in Mill Creek in Moab. Cars floated through the busiest streets in town, and restaurant customers waded through knee-deep water.

An unprecedented storm pounded Moab for nearly three hours.

“There were boulders and trees, and I couldn’t believe it. It was scary. It was almost like a dream,” said Dylan Beck, who has lived in Moab his entire life.

As the City and County continue to assess the damage from the Aug. 20 flood, we are jointly providing the attached information to update the community on the steps being taken to deal with the flood's aftermath. Also available on the home page of https://t.co/1vF7j7nkEL. pic.twitter.com/o4VFIsViyU

— City of Moab, Utah (@CityofMoab) August 21, 2022

The flash floods filled dozens of homes and almost every business on Main Street.

“I mean, I had a guy sitting at the bar finishing his dinner with two feet of water around him,” said Michael Miller, owner of Dewey’s Restaurant and Bar.

And just as business owners didn’t think it could get any worse, the water kept coming.

“We had a ton of water showing up at our back door at least five feet,” Miller said.

As the storm passed, many stayed throughout the night, cleaning up the mess of mud and debris left behind.

“We have about six inches of mud throughout the restaurant, and some things won’t be able to be replaced, so we’ll have to figure out what our next move is and try to get it cleaned up as fast as possible,” Miller explained.

Mill Creek in Moab at what looks like 25x normal volume pic.twitter.com/qXfR32yRFp

— Swat Lake City (@Neildos) August 21, 2022

The town is overwhelmed with the amount of support they’re seeing.

“The drill team is here from the high school and a lot of friends, so yeah, it’s been great a ton of calls of people who want to come help,” Miller said.

And as most of Moab is coated in mud, the community shovels sidewalks and works to clean up.

“It’s frustrating, and it’s hard, but we’ll figure it out,” Miller said.

Businesses are hoping to get back up and running before Labor Day when Moab’s busy fall season kicks off, but due to the extensive damage, they are worried they might not make it in time. That will also depend on if more storms come later this week.