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ST. GEORGE — Gov. Gary Herbert arrived in St. George Monday to meet with city officials and take a tour of the damages caused by a severe thunderstorm that brought lightning, high winds, rain and flooding to parts of Washington County Sunday evening.

The city has declared a state of emergency that will allow it to receive aid from the state and, if necessary, the federal government, as damages are continuing to be assessed.

A brief press conference was held in front of the Ramada Inn on St. George Boulevard where a large sinkhole opened up in the parking lot of the hotel. There, Herbert, along with St. George Mayor Jon Pike and Commissioner of Public Safety Jess Anderson, addressed the media in the aftermath of the flooding.

Herbert praised Pike and city crews for their swift response to the flooding and associated damages, including power outages, as well as their advance preparation as a city that has helped mitigate potential damages.

Herbert said damages have been estimated at nearly half a million dollars and rising as they continued to get reports of other areas that had seen flooding, including the Washington County Library St. George Branch.

I had the opportunity to visit today with @CityofStgeorge officials to survey the damage caused by severe thunderstorms. Response teams have done a tremendous job responding to the flooding and enabling roads to be reopened. #utwx pic.twitter.com/fz6Mb7AfQj
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) August 24, 2020