Montrose, COLO. — Early spring run-off created flooding conditions throughout Montrose County yesterday and through today. Montrose County Road and Bridge Crews have been working to stabilize roads, clear ditches, and divert water on Big Cimarron Road, Dave Wood Road, 6355 Road and Oak Grove Road areas. To help residents protect their homes, Montrose County and the City of Montrose have teamed up to provide free sandbags and sandbag filling materials for local residents.
In Montrose, sandbags are available at the empty lot on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and the San Juan Bypass (across from the City Public Works Shop). In Olathe, sandbags will be available at the Montrose County Road and Bridge Shop. The goal of the stations is to help homeowners reinforce their properties due to high water and flooding potential. The sandbags and materials available at the station are provided free of charge and only for residents in impacted areas. County residents that live in a flood plain are encouraged to protect their properties. The creeks that run through the City of Montrose (such as Cedar Creek, Montrose Arroyo and Dry Cedar Creek) are not at risk of flood at this time.
"We have been working on flood plans for the past month, but this year's season is a week earlier than we anticipated," said Scott Hawkins, Montrose County Sheriff's Office Director of Emergency Management. "We have adapted our plans for the water that we have and the water that we are expecting over the next few days. We are grateful to the city for providing a central location for residents near the Montrose area. This is just the beginning of the water and potential flooding--we need to work together to prepare for more. Homeowners are encouraged to prepare emergency plans, protect their homes if necessary, and sign-up for emergency notifications."
Montrose County encourages residents to determine if they live in a flood plain and purchase flood insurance as needed. To find out if your house is in a flood plain, please visit https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search and enter your address.
Residents are also encouraged to be prepared and plan ahead for emergencies. The first step is to create an emergency plan and 72-hour kit. Your plan should include the five P’s: people, pets, prescriptions, photos, and personal computer(s). Including the five P's is essential to five things will have provide a solid foundation for a plan. Visit ready.gov for plan examples and other preparedness tips. Residents are also encouraged to sign-up for the county's county’s emergency notification system here: https://montrose.genasys.com/portal/en.