Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security News Release
For immediate release, August 27, 2014
Contact:  Elizabeth Duncan (208) 258-6595 or (208) 866-5969

Disaster Declaration Issued for Elmore County

 

(Boise) Due to extensive damage to critical transportation infrastructure, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has issued a State Declaration of Emergency in support of Elmore County. The declaration, approved by the Governor today, ensures the safety of the residents of Atlanta and enables access to federal and state funding to repair the damage.

The Atlanta Highway District reports heavy rain and flooding occurred August 4 – 8.   The heavy rainfall fell on areas that had burned in recent years, and caused landslides that redirected the flow of the Boise River.  As a result, the Middle Fork Road has been washed out for approximately 700 feet and the Boise River is flooding another portion of the road blocking access to the community of Atlanta.

Engineers have estimated permanent repair to the Middle Fork Road, within the Atlanta Highway District, to exceed $2 million.  Officials are working to conduct emergency repair, sufficient enough to allow the road to open, prior to the onset of winter which closes the other access routes to Atlanta.

Elmore County declared a local declaration of emergency on August 12, 2014 and on August 25, 2014 requested a State Proclamation of Disaster Emergency.  The Governor’s declaration is a prerequisite to access Federal Highway Association Emergency Relief (FHWA ER) funding, and enables state funding to assist in the repair.

“We’ve been working with the Idaho Transportation Department and Elmore County to find engineering and funding options to get the road to Atlanta open before winter,” said Brigadier General Brad Richy, IBHS director.  “Projects like these are complex and take a team to solve.  Given the amount of acres that have burned across Idaho the past few years, we hope to mitigate as many of these risks as possible, before they become larger issues.”

Note to reporters:  The Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security is the State of Idaho’s emergency management agency.  Please note that IBHS is an Idaho-specific agency, and it is not the same thing as the federal Department of Homeland Security.  Within the State of Idaho organizational chart, IBHS is aligned under the State of Idaho Military Division.

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Original Release