Flood Emergency Declaration Issued for Foster County

Overland flooding in the area has forced county commissioners in Eddy and Foster County to declare a flood emergency, as roads in the area have washed away.

Foster County Commissioners signed a Flood Disaster Declaration during a special meeting Wednesday afternoon, after multiple reports of significant flooding and road closures in Foster County.

Foster County Emergency Manager, Aaron Devereaux, said he'd received multiple reports of road damage in northeastern Foster County, including a section of 11th Street Northeast, just north of Grace City, which had been completely washed away, creating a large chasm of rushing water.

The washout forced authorities to close the road between 82nd Avenue Northeast and 85th Avenue Northeast.

At the special meeting on Wednesday, commissioners discussed an additional washout further east on the same road, which they estimated to be 40 feet wide. There's also a number of other washouts and road closures on township roads in the area, they said.

Meanwhile, Eddy County Commissioners met with Eddy County Emergency Manager, Lisa Thompson, on Monday, May 9, for their own special meeting to discuss the situation.

Thompson reported that she'd toured Columbia, Cherry Lake, Lake Washington and Tiffany Townships that morning to survey the flooding and to speak with residents.

According to Thompson, an official gauge from the National Weather Service (NWS) at Camp Grafton South measured more than three inches of rain as of 9:30 a.m. Monday morning. Further south, residents reported that more than 6 inches of rain had descended in the area, with more coming down.

In Columbia Township, overland flooding was threatening to overcome farmsteads and roads, while in Cherry Lake township, a culvert washed out on a township road approximately 1/2 mile north of County Road 3.

After a brief discussion and with Thompson's recommendation, Eddy County commissioners signed a Flood Emergency Declaration for Eddy County, making it possible to acquire state funds should cleanup and repair of damages be "in excess of available resources."

To make matters worse, the National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Eddy and Foster County on May 11, in which severe weather was outlined for the coming days.

Thompson said any additional rain in the coming days or weeks could yet pose a threat to homes in the area, and both Thompson and Devereaux said residents should begin taking some precautions now, such as moving items in the basement to higher locations.

Thompson also cautioned against going into flooded areas.

"The way the culverts are running it wouldn't take much to suck someone into a culvert, and you just never know what could happen after that," she said. "... Things are still moving and flooding as we're going ... so people just need to be extremely careful. Do not go into standing and flowing water, because you just don't know how fast it's moving or what's eroded away underneath."

"Just make sure to be prepared," Devereaux added. "Make sure, if you do have a sump pump, that they're working correctly and if there's anything that needs to be fixed around the house to help prevent flooding inside, get that taken care of beforehand."