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MURRAY — The Salt Lake County Council has approved one-time grants of $2,000 each to assist residents of a Murray subdivision hit with a flash flood on July 26.
Residents of Walden Glen subdivision packed the council's work meeting Tuesday afternoon as the County Council mulled the best means to provide assistance to affected homeowners, rental tenants and others.
I am sympathetic about their recent troubles .. I believe offering small grants to help offset unexpected costs is morally the right thing to do.
–Mayor Peter Corroon
While legal representatives of the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office initially determined that the county is not legally liable for any damage caused by the sudden cloudburst, several members of the Council Council and Mayor Peter Corroon said they felt a moral obligation to assist the affected residents.
"I am sympathetic about their recent troubles. It is important to look at things of this type on a case-by-case basis," Corroon said. "I believe offering small grants to help offset unexpected costs is morally the right thing to do."
Meanwhile, the county also agreed to work with residents of the subdivision to further assess the damage to homes that were not already assessed by private insurance companies. Jeff Rowley, the county's risk manager, said residents say 29 homes were affected by the flood. "We suspect there may be more," Rowley said.
Rowley was expected to update the County Council on Aug. 16. "We need to set up a process that is fair, legal and agreeable to the council," he said.
As the sudden storm raged on July 26, a contractor hired by the county was in the finishing stages of repairs to a nearby culvert, therefore the pipe was not functioning to capacity.
Email:mcortez@ksl.com
