County declares state of emergency

Rising water levels washed out a dirt road leading to three homes in the Soles Rest area in Oasis on Thursday with emergency teams called in to help the eight residents that were left stranded.

The Elmore County board of commissioners signed a resolution on Friday declaring a state of emergency across the county.

The declaration includes areas in the vicinity of Mountain Home, Oasis, Tipanuk, Prairie, Pine, Featherville and Atlanta along with Alkali, Rosevear, Hot Creek, Sailor Creek, Slick Ranch, Sugar Bowl, Murphy Springs, Black Mesa, Pine-Featherville Road, Blacks Creek, the South Fork of the Boise River and Beaman Road.

The measure comes as the county continues to deal with rising water and flooding attributed to rapidly melting snow and additional rainfall, which could also lead to mudslides and avalanches that could lead to significant damage to local infrastructure. On Thursday, rising water levels washed out a dirt road leading to three homes in the Soles Rest area in Oasis with emergency teams called in to help the eight residents that were left stranded.

More information will appear in the Feb. 15 edition of the Mountain Home News.