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HELPER, Carbon County — Residents are cleaning up after massive flooding problems in Carbon County over the past two days. Many residents don't have insurance because they were told it wasn't necessary in their area, and are hoping to receive federal help.
Carbon County officials are trying to assess how much damage was caused. As of Tuesday, the damage was estimated at almost $2 million.
If residents can prove the floods caused at least $3 million in damage, they may get approval for federal funding.
Volunteers gathered on Main Street in Helper starting at 9 a.m. to help with the effort that could take weeks to clean up the damage caused by the flooding.
More than 50 homes were flooded and over 100 people displaced due to heavy rain over the last two days.
“Every effort that I've had to make is going to be out of pocket,” said Spring Glen resident Justin Wilde. “I can't afford it, so I don't know what we're going to end up doing in the long run.”
The mingled sounds of more than 30 voices caught Sue Williams off guard.
"I couldn't comprehend to tell you the truth, when I heard all those voices out back," Williams said Wednesday as she stood outside her modest house near the corner of Main and Janet streets.
Williams' backyard and her basement were filled with more than the inches of mud and water left behind by Monday night's devastating flash floods. They were filled with people of all ages from all walks of life.
"The lady came out of her house and she was crying," Carbon High School cheerleader Kaylee Bruno said, referring to Williams.
"She was like, 'Never put anything in the basement,'" Bruno said. "It was really sad. I just want to help out."
Bruno and her fellow cheerleaders ditched their pompoms Wednesday to help clean up homes and yards all along Helper's Main Street that have been affected by the flooding.
A crew of jail inmates from neighboring Emery County also found themselves knee deep in the thick mud for most of the day, laying down sandbags and pumping water out of basements.
"There really are several inmates standing in line to come out and help," Emery County Sheriff's Sgt. Dusty Butler said.
"Most of them are decent people that just made a mistake," the sergeant added. "They're trying to straighten their lives out, so they like to come out and be productive."
The Helper City Council and Carbon County Commission both declared a state of emergency, meaning they can now request additional assistance from the state. It remained unclear Wednesday night what federal aid, if any, might become available in the future, according to Carbon County Emergency Management Director Jason Llewelyn.
"We're trying to find other agencies and avenues to get people some help," Llewelyn said. "We have people out in the field right now (assessing the damage)."
County crews have had to go door-to-door at times because some people are not reporting the damage to homes, businesses or property, Llewelyn said. So far, 138 homes have sustained some kind of damage from the flood waters that hit the communities of Helper, Spring Glen, Carbonville and Westwood, he said.
That amounts to about $1.6 million in damages to homes alone, according to county officials. Efforts are still underway to calculate the damage done to infrastructure and local businesses, which is expected to push the final total closer to the $4 million mark, Llewelyn said.
Back on Main Street in Helper, the cheerleaders and inmates saw some of their morning's efforts undone by a fast-moving afternoon storm that pelted the small mining community with heavy rain and hail. Gutters ran full again and fears of more flooding ran high.
But the army of volunteers quickly regained the upper hand and the sun came out again, shining down on the unlikely collection of people working to put a community back together again.
"I think you bond more in a small city," Williams said. "It's just like a church. You know everybody when you have a small church, but when you have a big one, it's, 'Hi, how are you doing?' and go on your way. Here, they honestly mean, 'How are you doing?'"
