Hailey braces for flooding

Update May 16 at 4 p.m.: The Blaine County Sheriff has issued a mandatory evacuation for eight houses on War Eagle Dr. in Hailey, plus a pre-evacuation notice for residences on seven streets in Hailey's Della View neighborhood, effective Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, flooding is expected to pick up in the Wood River Valley this week and next.

Overnight temperatures in Hailey this week are forecast to be at least in the upper 40s — about 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Jack Messick with the National Weather Service in Pocatello said that means steady snowmelt.

“All it does it contribute to melt at a fairly fast rate," he said.

A flood warning for the area said water levels will rise until reaching a peak of 6.8 feet along the Big Wood River in Hailey early next Wednesday. Six feet is when some neighborhoods north of the airport in Hailey typically see moderate flooding.

Flooding is also possible at this stage in parts of Bellevue and West Ketchum.

But Chris Corwin, the emergency manager for Blaine County, told commissioners last week that runoff might not be as severe as two recent flood years — 2006 and 2017. There’s not quite as much snow in the mountains as there was then, thought the levels aren't too far off.

“So, there’s still a lot of potential, I guess is what I’m trying to say," he said.

The city of Hailey says residents should buy their own sandbags to protect houses, but it’s providing sand to fill them at two stations: at the corner of War Eagle Dr. and Silver Star Dr., and at the corner of Cedar St. and Silver Star Dr.

Ketchum is providing residents with up to 20 sandbags, available for pickup at the Street Department building.

Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen

Copyright 2023 Boise State Public Radio