Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Residents angry over Beaver Dam Wash flood response


Mohave County reports flooding in northwest Arizona along Beaver Dam Wash, destroyed or rendered uninhabitable at least seven homes. They say 10 residences sustained minimal damage, and another 140 homes suffered temporary loss of water or wastewater service, but that is not enough to trigger federal disaster funds.

Mohave County officials toured the area yesterday to assess damage.

There is a story in the Mesquite Local News describing a community meeting on Christmas Eve that drew hundreds of BD residents angry over what they saw as lack of warning and emergency response to the flood. Emergency Management Director for Mohave County, Byron Steward [right, briefing state emergency management officials. Credit, Mohave Co.] is quoted as saying the Weather Service did not issue a flood warning. Many residents complained that all the attention was focused on a small number of expensive uninhabited homes rather than "the common people in double-wides. We had to evacuate those people. No one came to help.”