Water pours into Newcastle

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
On Aug. 10, Newcastle and Weston County were under flash flood, tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, according to the National Weather Service. Two of the three warnings proved to be on-target as torrents of rain and hail fell from the heavens. 
According to Melissa Smith, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Rapid City, Saturday’s storms brought 3.6 inches of precipitation, as well as widespread hail to the Newcastle area. The rains caused flash flooding throughout Newcastle, particularly near the intersection of Rodeo and Cascade streets, as well as near Carter Street, according to Robert Munger, chief of the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department. 
“We saw flooding in the major flood zones that we run into,” Munger said, noting that those areas, as well as others, experienced flash flooding. He also reported that a retaining wall on Seneca Street collapsed and culverts were damaged, resulting in road closures on Morrissey Road. 
According to Munger and Gilbert Nelson, director of Weston County Homeland Security, both Morrissey and Seneca had to be barricaded until the appropriate entities could respond and address the damage. 
Despite the problems with infrastructure failures, the biggest issue the two said they faced during the emergency situation was people driving through the flood waters and children riding their bikes through backed-up waterways. 
“One message I would like to get out to the people is that we had kids trying to ride bikes in those areas, and there are hazards they are going to face,” Munger said. “Kids have been sucked into culverts and sewer drains leading to death by drowning. The kids don’t seem to see
the hazards.” 
Because no one knows exactly where the floodwaters came from, they also don’t know what is in the water, Munger and Nelson said.
“The water could have fecal matter in it. There are all sorts of things that can get into cuts and abrasions or be swallowed that can make people very sick,” Munger said. “People need to stay out of the floodwaters. The sewer can’t handle the water, septic tanks can’t handle the water, and you can catch God knows what. ” 
Flood emergency response teams also had to contend with people driving through flood waters causing waves, they said. Nelson advised motorists that if they can’t see the roadways, they should not drive through the area. 
“Don’t drown, turn around,” Nelson said. “Don’t drive through flooded areas. When you do that, you are moving that water and flowing it farther into houses and cars. You could be doing more damage by driving through the flooded roadways.” 
Not only does such traffic make the work of the emergency response teams more difficult, it also increases damage to people’s homes, just so someone can get the look they want, Munger said. 
“There is enough posted on Facebook; look at it there,” he said. 
According to Nelson, Newcastle is not technically in a flood plain, so homeowners cannot get flood insurance. 
“National Flood Plain Insurance is unavailable here. It is very unfortunate in incidents like this, and people driving through the water more than likely caused more out-of-pocket costs for homeowners,” Nelson said. 
While insurance claims are not a resource for those affected by the flooding, Nelson does have emergency kits available at the law enforcement center. The kits contain cleaning supplies provided by the American Red Cross. Emergency funding kits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are also available through Nelson’s office at the Weston County Courthouse. 
Overall, Nelson said the response to the emergency situation was great, including the teamwork and communication among the different responding agencies. 
“The initial response was fantastic. The dispatchers were amazing, and the fire department was a huge help,” Nelson said. “I am just the resource. I am here to call in the Red Cross and say, ‘hey, we need help.’ The real heroes are the firefighters and officers out there addressing the situations.” 
Munger said that people should really aim to help out the first responders in situations such as Saturday’s storm by staying away from flooded areas to avoid damage to themselves or others.