Jordan River flooding forces homeless evacuations
Oct 10, 2018, 4:36 PM | Updated: 7:00 pm
Woman rescued from Jordan River catchment basin after flooding (Salt Lake City Fire)
(Salt Lake City Fire)
SALT LAKE CITY — Heavy rain overnight caused flooding along the Jordan River this morning, displacing multiple homeless camps and trapping two people.
The two were camped near 288 N. 1460 W. in a catchment basin, designed to contain rising water levels, and were unable to evacuate themselves.
“They could not physically get out of where they were,” explains Salt Lake City Fire Captain Dan Marlowe. “What they ended up doing was just moving farther and farther up the bank of the river overnight as the waters kept creeping up on them.”
After yelling for help, someone walking along the parkway heard the cries and called emergency services.
“Upon our arrival, we found a couple of people who were very cold in water about three feet deep,” Marlowe says. “We were able to assist them out and get them some medical care.”
Overnight rain has caused the Jordan River to overflow in several locations, resulting in the evacuation of people living in low lying areas along the banks. Use caution along the river today, it is flowing much faster than usual for this time of year. pic.twitter.com/3ydqxl2J6J
— Salt Lake City Fire Department (@slcfire) October 10, 2018
Area fire crews and police officers were out along the banks to warn others.
“Just driving the area on bikes and getting down in there to make sure there’s nobody else who is in danger or affected,” says Marlowe.
Officials are hoping the Jordan River’s levels eventually return to normal as the weather starts to calm down.
