‘Already spread thin’: Officials urge public to adhere to flash flood safety warnings

ST. GEORGE — Public officials are putting out reminders – sometimes repeatedly – for people not to risk getting close to the areas where flooding has occurred. In St. George, for example, trails along the Virgin River have been closed as the river floods over entire segments of the riverside trail.

As water levels on the Virgin River rise due to increasing rain and melting snowpack in the mountains, officials ask the public to stay away from the flood waters in order to prevent potential public safety incidents, Bloomington Park, St. George, Utah, March 15, 2023 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Despite this, some people still choose not to adhere to the warnings, which can lead to public safety manpower being diverted from certain incidents to ones that are otherwise preventable.

“Our resources are already spread thin,” St. George Police officer Tiffany Mitchell told St. George over the phone Wednesday evening. She explained she had just left the scene of a weather-related vehicle crash.

“People not paying attention to barriers and trail closures can take resources away when we already know we’re going to have issues with weather beyond our control,” she said.

Responding to incidents where someone may be stranded or swept away by rising, fast-moving waters can also pose a risk to the first responders who are called out to such incidents, Mitchell added.

In cases of active flooding – which occurred for much of Wednesday and is predicted to continue into Thursday – officials from the National Weather Service to the St. George Police have asked the public to stay away from the flood waters.

“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” a NWS weather advisory stated Wednesday afternoon. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.”

The water doesn’t need to be that high to potentially wash a vehicle downstream and there’s no way of knowing whether a road or trail has been washed out when hidden under flood waters, Mitchell said.

Among the areas in St. George that have seen a rise in water levels and a swift current is the Virgin River through Bloomington, which the NWS warned would flood along Bloomington Park by the Man O’War Bridge.

Rain was steadily falling early Wednesday evening as water levels on the river had risen to the point they flooded over part of the riverside trail. While an entry to the trail from Bloomington Park was closed off, a handful of people still walked down to the flooding riverside for a closer look.

As water levels on the Virgin River rise due to increasing rain and melting snowpack in the mountains, officials ask the public to stay away from the flood waters in order to prevent potential public safety incidents, Bloomington Park, St. George, Utah, March 15, 2023 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At one point, two men took kayaks onto the river and quickly disappeared around the riverbend south of the bridge.

“Don’t walk, swim, or drive through flood waters.” the St. George Police Department posted to social media around 5 p.m. “Evacuate if you feel unsafe or you are told to do so.”

The police department had already received a handful of calls reporting people playing in or around the river by that point, Mitchell said.

Another reason given to stay out of the flooded river involves the large amounts of debris flash flooding tends to carry with it. A person may think that have solid footing in the water until a large piece of debris comes along and trips them up. This can lead to potential injuries, during swept along with the flood waters or drowning.

People also need to be aware of potential flooding in areas that haven’t seen any rain.

“Remain alert for flooding even in locations not receiving rain,” the NWS advises. “Dry washes, streams and rivers can become raging killer currents in a matter of minutes, even from distant rainfall.”

The NWS issued a flood warning for the Virgin River in the Blooming Park area Wednesday that is expected to last through Thursday evening.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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