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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Clean-up efforts continued today in St. George, a week after floods devastated Washington County.
City work crews finished repairing breaks in sewer lines, sealing off the one-and-a-half (M) million gallons of raw sewage that had been spilling into the Santa Clara river.
Power and telephone lines were fully restored and football players from the area's three high schools spent the day shoveling silt and dirt off playgrounds and picnic areas in a riverside park.
About 100 families have been left homeless by the floods.
Fifteen homes were completely washed away and more than 25 were condemned because of severe damage.
Assessment teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have completed a report for the White House that should help the county earn an emergency declaration from President Bush.
St. George officials had not seen the report, nor heard a final damage estimate today. Mayor Dan McArthur is in Washington, DC. for a meeting with a Bush aide.
Early estimates placed the damage at more than 86 (M) million dollars, but that number is expected to double.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
