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MURRAY -- Legally blind and in his 80s, Keith Kemp was wondering how he was going to save his house.
Kemp lives in Murray near Little Cottonwood Creek. Last year, the little creek rose to dangerous levels and flooded several homes in the area. He didn't want that to happen again this year.
Thanks to volunteers Saturday morning, Kemp's house has a fighting chance.
They're saving homes -- that's what they're doing. I don't know a lot of these people, but it's a great blessing to see the community come together like this.
–Keith Kemp
"They're saving homes -- that's what they're doing." said Kemp. "I don't know a lot of these people, but it's a great blessing to see the community come together like this."
Now, the creek is lined with sandbags. Hundreds of volunteers filled the bags at Murray City Park.
A dump truck spilled dirt onto the pavement, volunteers shoveled it into bags, and the bags were delivered to spots where they were needed.
"This year, everyone is a lot more aware of what the dangers are," said Chris Jacobsen, one of the volunteers.
"I think last year, there was an under-response," said volunteer Ben Eubanks. "I think people understand what was going on, and this year, hopefully, it's an over-response."
Last summer, Murray was a mess when Little Cottonwood Creek flooded. Eubanks remembers how bad it was.
"There was a lot of damage -- some erosion. One of my neighbors' yards was washed out," he said.
Related:
Flood and fire alerts issued for Utah
Utah's wild and wacky weather this spring has dueling warnings in effect from the National Weather Service, with "explosive fire" potential for much of southern Utah and flood predictions for Uintah and Cache counties.That's why volunteers wanted to get a head start this year.
"This year, we're more organized," said resident Lee Skolmoski. "The sandbagging is quicker, we have the right setup, it's just all going a lot faster."
Residents are hoping all this work is for nothing, but with all the snow still in the mountains, they know better.
"It'll be gone in a hurry, I think," said Jacobsen.
Volunteers in Midvale spent the morning filling sandbags at the Salt Lake County public works facility. Those sandbags were put on pallets so they could be deployed quickly when needed.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
