And Then the Rains Came

BONNERS FERRY — In the wake of snow and ice storms, Boundary County and the City of Bonners Ferry declared a state of emergency for the second time this winter after torrential rains rapidly melted accumulated snow banks across the county creating floods and subsequent mudslides.

A mudslide on the South Hill at U.S. Highway 95 and Ash Street backed up both north and southbound traffic for about five hours on Saturday with one lane of traffic beginning to flow through the city at about 6 p.m.

Northbound traffic was delayed at the top of the South Hill and southbound traffic was blocked at the Three-Mile junction, delaying U.S. Highway 2 traffic as well as southbound traffic entering the United States from the U.S. Canadian border entry points at Porthill and Eastport, according to Boundary County Public Information Officer Michael Meier.

Meier said Idaho Transportation Department crews cleared the South Hill slide area and had one lane of traffic flowing as soon as possible,

Multiple mudslides and floods were reported throughout the county all day Saturday and into the night, keeping emergency responders racing from scene to scene in order to keep up with damage control.

Westside Road had significant erosion at mile post 8 that caused an approximate 20-foot drop off. Multiple mudslides were reported along the Westside Road. Flood waters washed through roads and homes in the District 2 Road area in Naples. More sliding occurred near the Mirror Lake Golf Course at Highway 95, after ITD had initially cleared a previous mudslide last Wednesday. The Deep Creek Loop near Highland Flats Road was closed due to flooding. Residents near Cow Creek Road at Parker Creek and Canyon were also impacted by flooding over the roadways.

All available emergency responders were called in to fill sandbags and to distribute them throughout the area flood zones.

According to Meier, an incident command center had been stationed at the Kootenai River Inn.

As of Wednesday night, the city of Bonners Ferry and Boundary County remained under a state of emergency. The city and county requested to join the state of emergency that is already in place for the five northern Idaho regions.

“We are still under a state of emergency and will be so for a week or longer,” Meier said. “We will remain in that status until all repairs have been made. We are part of five northern counties under this status and all counties have to be cleared before the state of emergency is lifted.”

Meier said County Road and Bridge and ITD have been working to clear clogged ditches and move the mud and water along as quickly as possible.

Cow Creek Road is still closed due to high water and road damage Officials are concerned that the standing water may freeze and cause additional driving hazards.

Ash Street was cleared of downed trees and debris late Monday afternoon.

A Burlington Northern Sante Fe cargo train was held up Saturday night at the Highland Flats and Deep Creek Loop area due to mudslides and flooding in Bonners Ferry. The intersection was also flooded along the rail on Saturday, but water receded significanlty on Deep Creek Loop Road by Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday at about 2:45 p.m., BNSF crews were given the go-ahead to proceed north toward Bonners Ferry, however they were warned flood waters had covered the rail south of Naples, according to a BNSF spokesman.

By Monday, all U.S. Highway 95 roads had been opened, and Ash Street was officially opened at 6:32 p.m. after city, county, and ITD crews spent the day clearing downed trees and debris.

“Thank you all for your patience during this incident,” Meier said. “County Road and Bridge along with Idaho Transportation Department did a fabulous job of clearing the slide quickly.”

Meier and county officials request that travelers avoid the areas of concern until further notice.

For road closures, contact 208-267-3838.