Family rescued from floodwaters in southwestern Idaho

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho — Authorities in northern Idaho are warning residents who live along the St. Joe River to expect flooding when an ice jam on the river breaks free.

The National Weather Service issued the flood warning for residents in the towns of St. Maries and St. Joe on Friday; it lasts through Sunday evening. The small town of Calder just upstream has already had significant flooding as water backs up behind the ice jam.

Flood stage on the St. Joe River is 13 feet, but by Friday morning the water was at nearly 16½ feet, officials said.

Residents in the southern half of the state were facing similar woes, as an increase in temperatures and rainfall began to cause historic levels of snow to rapidly melt. Swollen rivers, streams and agricultural canals threatened to overflow their banks as large chunks of ice accumulated, slowing and sometimes stopping the flow of water.

In the southwestern town of Weiser, emergency workers rescued several people who were trapped in homes and on top of cars Friday morning when a flash flood surrounded three or four homes in an agricultural area just outside of town.

Emergency crews used a loader to reach one family and transport them to safety, said Steve Domby, the emergency services coordinator for Washington County. The group was shaken up but otherwise appeared unharmed, he said.

Rescue workers were still trying to reach another trapped man who had climbed on the roof of his home nearby, Domby said. The Boise Fire Department was assisting and planned to use a specialized rescue boat to get the man, he said.

In higher elevations, officials were warning residents of high avalanche danger and asking people who live in avalanche areas to stay inside their homes or cars at all times.

A 35-year-old man died when he was caught in an avalanche while snowmobiling in eastern Idaho on Thursday, Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office said.

Roth, of Alpine, Wyoming, was snowmobiling with a friend when he was caught in the avalanche, Lovelle said. His friend was able to locate him using an avalanche beacon, but Roth did not survive.

Several families have been displaced in southern Idaho near Castleford and Buhl when agricultural canals breached.

Districts in Filer, Buhl and Minidoka County closed schools in the middle of the day Thursday because of the floods. A car that got past a police barricade in Twin Falls County was swept away by violent floodwaters. Roads have been swept away by the rushing water in the area, though no deaths or serious injuries have been reported. Officials, however, are warning people to stay off water-covered roads.

“Becoming submerged is a danger,” Cassia County Undersheriff George Warrell said. “If it looks deep, don’t enter it, especially if you have a small vehicle.”

Floodwaters stretch for miles across Cassia County. A 36-mile stretch of Interstate 86 that closed Monday has reopened, but authorities worry water will soon threaten Interstate 84, the primary highway through the Magic Valley.

In Twin Falls County, the entire western portion of the county has been hit by floods. Roads have washed away and at least eight homes flooded.

Sandbags were in short supply across the valley. Volunteers ran out of bags in Malta and ordered an emergency supply from a distributor in California. They were expected to arrive Friday.

Elsewhere in the state, authorities are warning about floods. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning for the Weiser area, Moscow, Pullman and Bonner County. There are also flood warnings for the Bruneau River and much of both Laah and Whitman counties.

In Bonner County, two roofs collapsed, power lines were downed, and some minor flooding was reported in the downtown area after an ice storm on Thursday. There were no injuries.

The county is keeping a close eye on impacts of the storm, Emergency Management Director Bob Howard said. “We’ve got a lot of water and that water has nowhere to go,” Howard said.