Groups prepare for floods

With projections of well above-average

snowpacks and streamflows in the Flathead Valley, residents as well

as local emergency service officials are preparing for potential

flooding that could hit the area this spring.

High-elevation snowpack in the Flathead

River basin rose to roughly 150 percent of average Monday after

weekend snow, which is the highest it’s been since the winter of

1996-1997. That snowpack is the result of continuing cool weather

and frequent precipitation. As of the beginning of April, the

snowpack in the “Noisy Basin,” which includes the Bigfork area of

the Swan Range, was sitting at 151 percent of average.

“We’re really concerned about the

fast-reacting streams coming out of the Swan Range,” said Marty

Whitmore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, at a

meeting of local emergency service officials in Flathead County

earlier this month.

Local rivers and streams, including the

Flathead, Stillwater and Whitefish rivers, are expected to run

high, with the possibility of reaching flood stage. Currently the

National Weather Service is forecasting peak flows on the Flathead

River by early June, though much is contingent on the weather.

“It’s no secret that we’re looking for

high water this year,” Whitmore said.

Stephen Stanley, coordinator with Lake

County’s Office of Emergency Services, also said a lot depends on

what the weather does over the next few weeks.

“We’ve got a pretty good snowpack,” he

said. “We’ve got 110 to 157 percent of normal...What’s going to

determine this year is going to be how it comes down. If it stays

cool, we should be OK, but if it heats up and rains, we could get

some excitement.”

A group of Bigfork residents is taking

concerns into its own hands by forming a new organization titled

the Bigfork Emergency Response Team. Its goal is to educate

residents and develop plans to deal with potential threats to

Bigfork and the surrounding areas. This includes potential flooding

as well as earthquakes, wild fires and other emergency scenarios.

The first meeting to discuss the formation of a community emergency

response team took place April 3.

“We wanted to get the whole community

involved,” said resident Bruce Nelson, one of the group’s

organizers. “What we want to do is prepare for earthquakes, floods,

anything that can happen to be able to assist everybody.”

The group hopes to go as far as

organizing neighborhoods, churches and service groups in how to

respond in emergency situations and having written plans in place,

including through a website that Bigfork Web Development, Inc., is

in the process of setting up. That website will be located at

www.bigforkemergencyinfo.org.

The group has been holding

informational meetings in the area, with another planned for this

Thursday, April 21, at Bigfork Elementary School. Residents should

note that the time for that meeting has been changed from 7 p.m. to

6 p.m.

A meeting will be held at 6 p.m. the

following Tuesday, April 26, in the Bigfork High School music room

on how to prepare 72-hour emergency packs for $20. Churches are

invited to send someone who can take the information back to the

respective church. Residents can call 871-1447 or 837-0923 for more

information on the group.

To deal with current spring flooding

potential, residents can check to determine if their property is in

a flood hazard area by visiting www.fema.gov for maps in the area

or by contacting Flathead or Lake county. Those who can are

encouraged to consider getting flood insurance, which takes 30 days

to go into effect. That can be done through a home insurance

carrier or FEMA at 1-800-638-6620.

Other advised precautions residents can

take include getting materials to protect structures such as sand

bags, plastic sheeting and plywood, as well as having a 72-hour to

seven-day emergency kit that includes food, first aid and other

supplies.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has

made sand bags available for flooding situations. The Lake County

Office of Emergency Services has staged about 30,000 of those in

the Swan area already. Flathead County currently has access to more

than 200,000 bags. Stanley is advising residents to be on the

lookout for changes and to alert his office as deemed

necessary.

“Now we wait and see,” he said. “Be

aware of your surroundings. Keep your eyes open and let us

know.”

Contact the Flathead County office at

758-5562 and the Lake County office at 883-7253.

The Northwest Montana News Network

contributed to this report.