Flash flood-prone counties in Utah watching, learning from Texas flooding aftermath

EMERY COUNTY — With the death toll rising and many more still missing, the flooding in Texas this week quickly caught the attention of Utah’s flash flood-prone counties, and at least one sheriff said Tuesday that the ordeal was likely to lead to new discussions about preparation and response.

“The whole flooding situation in Texas has been so difficult to watch,” said Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington. “You see those videos where first responders and private citizens are putting themselves in danger trying to help folks, and I can’t not think about my own search and rescue guys doing the same thing.”

He said he believed the topic would come up when Utah’s sheriffs meet in the future.

Huntington told KSL TV it was hard to comprehend the amount of water in the Texas flooding, though flash floods involving much less rain have regularly proven deadly in central and southern Utah.

“When those girls were washed away in Little Wild Horse (Canyon), that was one of my cases,” Huntington said. “Some of the most tragic things we’ve dealt with have been because of flash floods.”

Huntington acknowledged the nature of flash floods make them very difficult to predict, and with monsoonal moisture potentially surfacing in the weeks ahead, the current setup offers additional reasons for concern in his county.

“You would think with the drier weather we wouldn’t be worried about it as much,” Huntington said. “The drier the weather, the harder it is for the water to find places to rest, so it runs through quicker and causes even worse flash floods when the rains do come.”

As always, the sheriff underscored the need for people to familiarize themselves with the forecasts before heading into outdoor locations known for potential flash floods.

He said it was important to let significant others or friends know ahead of time what travel plans and expected timeframes are, and he said locals are always a good resource about potential trouble spots.

“If you’re not sure about something, maybe just don’t do it,” Huntington said. “If you see some black clouds in the distance, on the horizon, it might just be best to avoid that for the time and catch it another time and play it safe.”

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