Record–breaking snow storms throughout the state of Utah occurred earlier this week. Cedar City has begun preparation for potential flooding. The storm, which occurred Monday night and lasted until just before noon Tuesday, has sparked concern throughout southern Utah.
Late in July 2021, a state of emergency was declared in Cedar City due to widespread flooding. Despite a substantial amount of damage all throughout the area, many different groups were able to come together and give relief to those affected.
Emergency preparedness plan
Instead of just reacting to an emergency, the community has made plans to help prepare for disaster in the future. Iron County Emergency Manager George Colson recently issued a request for urgent assistance in filling thousands of sandbags in anticipation of potential spring and summer floods. If there is a sudden increase in temperature, the potential for flooding in Iron County is extremely high. Colson reported that in 2021 nearly 250,000 bags were filled and used from Enoch to Cedar City.
The Utah Food Bank statewide food drive was a major success for Iron County as well. An affiliate of the drive, True Life Food Center, reported they were extremely grateful for the 6,789 pounds of food that were donated. The food center was well prepared to receive, sort and store the donations through the help of many volunteers.
Additionally Southern Utah University Hope Pantry also accepted 6,623 pounds of food, Iron County Share and Care received over 14,430 weighed pounds of food and Lin’s Grocery Store collected four pallets worth of food. All of these donations were received and handled by volunteers eager to help those in need.
Another organization, the Global Youth Service also helped play a large part in preparation. Through JustServe.org, residents found ways to volunteer and help. This included filling sandbags and helping with all of the different food drives.
On April 1, KSL News put out an hour-long informative documentary covering JustServe. The goal was to show people how to get into the website and find opportunities to serve others. JustServe also continues to be a good source for emergency preparedness in Cedar City.
Through the readiness of the city and the willingness of volunteers, Cedar will be better able to help out its residents in a case of emergency. This includes the potential flood that could be an actuality in coming weeks.
Story by: Brig Pyfer
eic@suunews.net
Photos courtesy of SUU
