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Show 75 Campers Freed After Capitol Reef Flood CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK Some 75 campers, trapped for over 36 hours in the Capitol Reef National. Park campground, were rescued late Saturday evening after a flash flood Friday night tore out a bridge spanning the Fremont River, preventing any way out of the area. The normally placid Fremont River tore through the historic Fruita area, bringing in mud and debris and tore out the bridge which connects the campground with the rest of the park. The raging waters also carried away a park building, camping trailer and tents. Construction of a temporary bridge was completed about 11 p.m. Saturday, allowing the campers to move out of the area. After several days of abnormally wet weather and occasional heavy cloudbursts that also affected much of the south western United States intense rainfall over Thousand Lake and Boulder mountains on Friday afternoon drove waterflow on the upper Fremont River to unprecedented levels. Emmett Clark, a park employee, who lives in Grover and who crosses the upper Fremont River on his way home before it begins its tumbling descent into the canyon that leads to Fruita, phoned to warn Capitol Reef Chief Ranger Noel Poe that an enormous arrunt of water was on its way down. Poe then alerted Park Rangers Glenn Sherill, Ken Kehrer, and Larry Vensel. Kehrer and Vensal drove immediately to the campground to advise campers that a flood warning was In effect and that they should prepare to evacuate. They then evacuated the group campground on the north side of the river with the help of well drillers working1 nearby. Some tents, with campers inside, had already begun to float as water washed over the river banks. The rangers returned to the main campground as the rising water began to reach the bridge decking. The waters rose quickly, and moved across the campground in boiling sheet. Some reported almost a foot per minute rise and one heavy trailer began to float away. It was quickly sucked into deep water and headed east, bobbing in the boiling torrent. One elderly camper, exiting from a vehicle quickly innudated by water already waist high, was pulled to safety by Kehrer and Vensel. "It was a pretty close call," said Vensel later. Meanwhile, off-duty park employee Gwyn Rowland, asleep in her room at the Gifford House near the campground, awoke to the sickening smell and sound of a flashflood. She jumped to her window in time to see the flood lift a large park storage building just behind the house off its foundation, start to break up. and float down river. Nearby, about the same time, the ground is particularly saturated. Saturday afternoon, the Utah weather bureau Issued a flood watch warning as heavy rains fell in eastern Iron County and in western Garfield County. The present storm has many of the Some of the 75 people who couldn't get out of Capitol lleef campground watt and watch as efforts got underway to replace torn out bridge which earmarks of the August 19, 1984 storm that destroyed bridges, farmlands, eroded roads and generally wreaked havoc thorughout the western side of the county. Highway 14 sustained considerable damage in Cedar Canyon when a flash flood ripped a 100-foot section out of the road. Several families were without water for a time until city water crews replaced the lines. A late report of extensive damage to Garfield County's controversial Burr Trail came only a week after members of the Utah Legislature Transportation Committee made a tour of the "trail". Weekend storms dumped enough water on the area to cause slides in the switchback area Photo by Mik Caouattt, Nation! Park Sorvlc prevented them from leaving campground. Temporary bridge was completed late Saturday, allowing the groups to leave. and trapped two travelers who were forced to leave their automobile and walk 12 miles out. Unconfirmed reports say the trail is in "bad shape" along its entire length. Garfield County commission chairman Dell LeFevre and Steve Creamer of Creamer and Noble Engineers of St. George were scheduled to fly over the entire length of "The Burr" and take photographs of the damage. Escalante also reported excessive rain and some flooding of the canyons in the area. Escalnte town clerk Monte Jordon reported that their family reunion of some 130 people was successful although they all had to scurry to the community building to escape Saturday's downpour. Reports of mud damage and severe flooding of basements, homes and businesses are still being assessed in Orderville. Mud covered the main street to a depth of over three feet in some places. One resident had his basement flooded with mud and debris twice in 24 hours. |
