UPDATE FRIDAY MORNING: Hill County DES Coordinator Amanda Frickel says the places in the Bear Paws that will need the most repairs are the Lions Campground Area and a road in the Rail Road Pager area.
As of Thursday afternoon, water was still running at high levels through a few camp grounds. One of the biggest issues is cleaning up debris.
Repairs have already begun on the road from Lions Campground to Pagers.
Local officials will continue to closely monitor the situation over the weekend.
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Although north-central Montana escaped major impacts from flooding this week, some problems were reported in the Bear Paw Mountains.
Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel says there has been debris and backup in Miners Gulch and logjams reported in the area of the Lions Campground. Frickel says water has been flowing over the highway in that area. Crews will assess damage and do cleanup in the coming days.
Due to the flooding, the Beaver Creek East Fork Spillway gate was opened up Wednesday night to help control the situation, as water was going over the spillway. Frickel says they anticipated the gate would close again Thursday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Chippewa Cree Tribe announced the closure of the Bear Paw Mountains in the Beaver Creek and Sandy Creek areas on the Reservation, with a reassessment taking place on Friday. This decision was made due to recent rainfall causing significant rise in all creeks and creek beds on the Reservation. Only Tribal employees who are monitoring waterways and roadways are allowed in the closed off areas.
Video of some of the flooding, courtesy of Frickel, can be viewed below:
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