During the spring of 2005 the Virgin River and Santa Clara River overflowed their banks. The floods made national news. Video clips of house after house being lost to the rivers and stories of the town of Gunlock being isolated were reported over and over for weeks. After the waters receded, the bridges rebuilt, and roads repaved the city said they had reinforced the structures so a disaster of this magnitude wouldn’t occur again. They were right. After a constant 4 days of rain in December 2010 (17 inches, which is more than the annual rainfall) the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers broke from their banks again. Zion National Park and a nearby town were evacuated. Bike trails, roads, and even a nine-hole golf course disappeared under the muddy water of the river. The news reports said the rivers were running higher than in 2005. This year no houses were lost. The rivers carried plenty of flotsam but not much else. They worried about a dam breaking and the loss of a couple of bridges but it didn’t happen. The rivers have crested and receded now and the rain has stopped. The flood of 2010 resulted in a lot of mud, pictures, and memories. 
1 comment:
Its so amazing to see that much water when it normally isn't there.
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