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Show Volume XXX Issue III The Ogden Valley News Page 3 April 15, 2023 SNOWFALL cont. from page 1 early January. The Sheriff’s Office reported, “The Weber County Roads Department has been working on solutions to reopen the road as soon as possible. Recent snowstorms have hindered this process and made conditions unsafe for workers to clear the road. Conditions need to improve so it is safe to work on the road and safe to allow travel after the road has been cleared. Weber County is hoping to have the North Ogden Divide reopened by the end of next week. We are asking for everyone’s patience until we can get the road open. The snow-heavy late-winter storm that moved in early Friday morning, March 31, caught many by surprise. One bus slid off Highway 158 near the North Arm Trailhead in Eden, and another became stranded in Liberty, blocking passage for a third. Even Weber County’s snowplows had their share of trouble this year. Along with their own slide offs and getting stuck, Weber County snowplow drivers have had a hard time keeping up with the heavy snowfalls this winter in many areas. Rodger Pickett took this photo April 3 of Nordic Valley Drive. He stated that the road had been impassable for several days before the county was finally contacted for help. Pickett said he worried about what would have happened had there been a medical emergency or a house fire in the Nordic Valley neighborhood. Much of the trouble and woe this year has been the result of the hefty snowfalls that continued pounding the state this winter and spring, week after week, often carried into Northern Utah by a phenomenon that just wouldn’t quit—one after another “atmospheric rivers,” or what traditionally has been called the “Pineapple Express.” A Pineapple Express, or atmospheric river, is a moving band of concentrated moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere that travels from Hawaii to the Western U.S. carrying large amounts of gaseous water. During the first week of April, Utah’s snowpack hit a high mark—higher than it’s ever been since measurements first began being recorded in the 1930s. The record snowfall has been due, in large part, to these massive saturated flowing currents of air. They’re usually thousands of miles long and about a hundred miles wide. According to farmersalmanac.com, “a single atmospheric river can carry more water than the Amazon River….” And now that it may be that this season’s last “river” has been diverted, the snow may be the least of our worries. On Saturday, April 3, Governor Cox declared April as “Flood Safety Month” for the state of Utah. The formal declaration notes that flooding has caused more damage in the Beehive State than any other weather-related event. It’s also been the impetus for two-thirds of Utah’s major disaster declarations through the years. In the declaration, the governor notes, “The state is already seeing isolated flooding incidents with rising river levels and water tables, sheet flooding and flash flooding…. Government agencies and many volunteer organizations are committed to helping educate Utahns to prepare for and respond to flood hazards.” While the potential for heavy flooding will remain very high throughout April and May, we’ll just have to wait to see if the winter of 2022-2023 will be any indicator of what the spring of 2023 will bring. Standby with wading boots and shovel. Volunteer and Make a Difference For over a decade, the Wolf Creek Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency, has been supporting military families through the generosity of this community. Whether being deployed or returning from deployment, separation brings stress and anxiety to a military family which is often difficult to overcome. Through a partnership with Hill Air Force Base and Summit/Powder Mountain, the Wolf Creek Foundation sponsors weekend retreats twice a year, where our military families relax, reconnect, and develop much needed skills that help the entire family cope with deployments. Meals, lodging, and entertainment, along with dedicated programming for adults and children, are offered at no cost to families. This program has held Best Practice status within the Air Force since 2008 and several bases from around the U.S. are working to create something similar for their families. One of the unique qualities of this program is what is does for the children. Several base organizations along with Air Force child development specialists take over Snowcrest Jr. High with a myriad of activities along with focused programming to help these children deal with the inherent fear and uneasiness that comes with a parent’s deployment. The parents are offered three training sessions that thoroughly deal with the issues that arise during a spouse’s deployment as well as re-integration when the spouse returns. Several seasoned officers have reported that in their 25- to 30-year careers, they have never been offered anything as beneficial to their families as this program During a Typical Retreat… • Each family receives a complimentary family photo. Many of these photos as well as pictures taken during the weekend have ended up in an airman’s helmet while on deployment. • Each child receives a teddy bear that has a voicebox for the deploying parent to record a message for their son or daughter. • Families have time to reconnect with each other in a way that is not normally possible. They can choose to participate in the daily recreation opportunities or simply spend time with each other. • Some come to a retreat after their spouse has already deployed. This is always particularly poignant. We have a great DJ that gets everyone up on the dance 昀氀oor and the “Daddy/Daughter” dance is very emotional for everyone on sta昀昀. • Families have opportunities to connect with each other and the spouse left behind leaves with a support system in place. Base commanders and Chapel sta昀昀 spend time getting to know the families during each retreat and families leave with the knowledge that they are not alone. • One of the unique qualities of this program is the lodging. Families stay in luxury second homes and condominiums that have largely been donated by the homeowners. Most of these families could not a昀昀ord a weekend in this type of accommodation and the fact that the homeowner has donated it to them makes it even more meaningful. Your Opportunity to Make a Di昀昀erence We are looking for volunteers to help serve at some of the meals during the next retreat taking place April 28-30, 2023. Your only commitment will be for one meal during that weekend. All of the meals are buffet style so a volunteer’s main responsibility will be serving occasional beverages, clearing tables and resetting for the next meal. We are looking for 6-8 volunteers per meal. The real benefit of volunteering at this event will be interacting with the retreat participants. When you talk to these families you truly become aware of the sacrifice that the whole family makes for the freedom that we take for granted. We invite you to thank these airmen and their families. To volunteer, please call Sue Munson at 801-388-7596. We look forward to seeing you at the next retreat! Ogden Valley Blood Drive Slated for June 10 at Eden Park Bowery The Community Foundation of Ogden Valley, CFOV, has teamed up with the Red Cross to FLOODING cont. from page 1 • 4279 N. 3300 E., Liberty bring regularly scheduled If you have questions or would like more blood drives to Ogden Valley. The first of and filled at the following locations during information on the opportunity to volunteer to these Community Blood Drives is scheduled daylight hours: fill sandbags, please call 801-778-6682 or 801- for Saturday, June 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 • 6450 E. 1900 N., Eden p.m. at the Eden Park community room at the 778-6609. • 3844 N. Wolf Creek Dr., Eden Other sandbagging locations for unincor- bowery. • 277 S. 7400 E., Huntsville To schedule an appointment, or for more porated residents will be announced as needed. Community members rally to help shovel roofs across the Valley. A Weber School District bus slides o昀昀 the road in Eden. information, please visit redcrossblood.org or contact community blood drive coordinator Janet Wampler at 305-796-7778 or janet. wampler@gmail.com. Drop-in donors are also welcome. You may start the donation process by completing an online pre-donation health history questionnaire on the day of your appointment by logging in to redcrossblood.org/ RapidPass. Your gift could save a life. |