Dike break in Santa Clara, flooding damages businesses, home, call for volunteers

Dike break in Santa Clara, Sept. 11, 2012 | Dave Amodt, St. George News

SANTA CLARA – A dike for a retention pond in Santa Clara burst after heavy rainfall in Southern Utah Tuesday and flooded the surrounding area. Evacuations are underway.

Water rushing through the breached dike, Santa Clara, Sept. 11, 2012. | Photo Courtesy of the St. George Police Department

The dike broke around 1 p.m. and led to the closing of Sunset Boulevard and Arrowhead Trail in Santa Clara. The break has also led to the evacuation of homes and businesses in the surrounding area.

A number of homes and businesses were impacted by the flood, particularly those in the shopping center at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Canyon View Drive.

Nearby Arrowhead Elementary, Santa Clara Elementary, Snow Canyon High and Snow Canyon Middle, were unaffected by the flooding and dismissed at the regular times. However, parents had to pick their children up at some schools as some buses were delayed due to the flooding.

As of 4 p.m., Washington County Emergency Services reports that Santa Clara Drive, Arrowhead and Vineyard roads remain closed due to flooding. Estimated about 25-30 homes suffered damage.

Red Cross contact is available at the Santa Clara Town Hall, 2603 Santa Clara Drive, for assistance for those who are displaced and need shelter. Those affected by the floods can also call the Red Cross at 435-673-6712 ext 235.

A call for volunteers to fill sandbags has been sent out, and are asked to first meet at the Santa Clara City Hall.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.

 

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11 Comments

  • leslie September 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    do they mean Arrowhead Elem?

  • Big Bob September 11, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Unreal! My oh my has the climate changed around here…this makes 3 major floods in just 7 years!

  • Al Gore September 11, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    It’s global warming! Trust me.

    • Zemo September 12, 2012 at 6:43 am

      Thanks Al for checking in on us here in Southern UT, but it’s not global warming. Actually it’s just business as usual. If you look closely at the airport black ridge and Foremaster ridge, those used to be washes or dry river beds that filled up with molten lava many years ago. Then……over time the hundreds of feet of red rocks and soil were eroded away between them leaving these black ridges as “inverted valleys” So, the rain and erosion we are experiencing is really not new to this area. In fact, it has been much, much worse than what we area seeing currently. That’s why we get wiped out every time we get a hard rain. It’s been happening for a long time and will continue to keep causing chaos with every heavy rain storm.

  • Savannah September 11, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    Dear flood please leave my neighborhood thanks.

  • jen field September 11, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    Maybe they should of not keven field run the equipment around the dike

  • Asda September 11, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    Don’t worry, S Utah is great at taking the money from other entities and justifying it. Romney would tell Santa Clara to put a shoebox down for the cat and swim themselves to safety.

    • Alvin September 12, 2012 at 1:48 pm

      That comment made no sense whatsoever. And neither did Jen’s above that.

  • Gunther September 12, 2012 at 6:48 am

    Interesting the photo of the back doors of the market on the corner. Shouldn’t commercial doors open to the outside? Residential doors usually open inward but business’s always open outward for fire escape. Maybe commercial doors would have held back the water? The one on the far right looks like it held up.

  • Tex Lex September 12, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Let’s see how long it will take for the people to start demanding money from the government they hate.

  • Rio.X August 25, 2013 at 4:29 pm

    Dat water

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