Over the weekend, the Little Wind River reached its third highest peak on record, causing flooding that’s left many on the Wind River Reservation and in Fremont County displaced.
The Red Cross of Wyoming has opened an evacuation center at the Riverton Fairgrounds for the nearly 300 people affected by the flooding. Spokeswoman Pat Kondas says, people need to stay ready to evacuate as late as through the middle of this week.
“It crested last night. The one report I read said eleven feet and starting to recede,” she says. “But it’s continuing at least until Tuesday, flood conditions, possibly through Wednesday.”
As many as 100 homes were damaged in the flood when almost seven inches of rain fell in 72 hours over the weekend. Kondas says, in addition to the evacuation center, a resource center will open Tuesday, where people can get dry clothes, food, temporary shelter or clean water. And she says, there are ways for people in the community to help out.
“The main thing we know we will need is bottled water,” she says. “People have been told not to drink water from their wells. I guess there have been some sewer backup kind of things too.”
Kondas says, people who’ve been affected by the floods can stop by the resource center anytime between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Friday.
