Dozens of Iron County homes flooded. With more rain expected, authorities issue alert, assistance request

ST. GEORGE — A thunderstorm that hit Tuesday night and continued into the early morning hours of Wednesday flooded dozens of homes in and around Kanarraville and north of the Cedar City Regional Airport. With more rain expected across the region, authorities issued an emergency preparation alert, as well as request for help filling sandbags.

Flooding reported in the Flying L Ranch subdivision located just north of the Cedar City Airport during thunderstorm, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 18, 2021 | Photo by Paul Dail, St. George News / Cedar City News

Lt. Del Schlosser with the Iron County Sheriff’s Office told St. George News on Wednesday that the storm created an influx of water that entered the flood control channel and spilled over during continued heavy rains. As of noon Wednesday, flooding is still being reported in the Flying L Ranch subdivision north of the airport.

Schlosser said that Kanarraville and areas just south of the town itself also reported flooding during the storm.

Given the severe thunderstorm watch and flood warning currently in effect in portions of Southern Utah, he said assistance is being requested with filling sandbags at the Iron County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue facility located at 1542 Kitty Hawk Drive in Cedar City or the Cedar City Public Works Building on 716 N. Airport Road.

Schlosser also suggested that residents living in the lower-lying areas or in a flood zone can protect their property by creating a barrier to reduce the risk of damage from floodwaters entering their homes, adding the sandbags are available to anyone who needs them.

Flooding reported in the Flying L Ranch subdivision located just north of the Cedar City Airport during thunderstorm, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 18, 2021 | Photo by Paul Dail, St. George News / Cedar City News

Shortly before noon, an alert along these lines was issued by the Cedar Communications Center in response to the the imminent threat of severe storms that are being forecast over the next several days. Authorities also asked the public to act swiftly to prepare their property for potential flooding, adding that residents can reduce the risk of damage by clearing out storm drains, erecting sandbag barriers around the property to divert the water away from the home and any other preventative measures.

Moreover, with resources stretched thin as officers and emergency personnel are tasked with protecting vital infrastructure throughout the area, residents were also asked to work with their neighbors to take care of any flooding issues that occur at their properties, adding that law enforcement and emergency personnel may not be available to respond to individual reports of flooding.

However, the alert reminded residents that: “Should a life or death emergency arise, please call 911 for assistance!”

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No injuries were reported.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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