Cibola County close to record amount of rainfall

Raymond Lee shovels dirt into what is usually a road that leads to his house in Chruch Rock on Friday afternoon. Rain brought massive flooding to the area causing many problems for drivers and residents. Lee said this road to his home washes out every year and the chapter has still not fixed the problem. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Cibola County's Emergency Management Office and other agencies such as the county road department are now in the recovery stage dealing with the damage caused by flooding which occurred earlier this month.

The weather does not appear it will allow rains to let up any time soon either, as the National Weather Service is forecasting more thundershowers and rain during the week and picking up even more so Monday through Wednesday.

Record rainfall
Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque told the Independent Friday afternoon Cibola County is on track to possibly hit an all time record in rainfall.

As of Friday, rainfall recorded at the Grants-Milan Municipal Airport showed a total of 3.91 inches. The 30-year average for August is 2.07 inches. There are six days remaining in the month including today.

If no more rainfall hits the county through the remainder of the month, which is highly unlikely, the 3.91 inches would become the fourth highest rainfall on record, Michalski said.

Records have been kept since 1953 and the top three recorded rainfall in the month of August since then are: 4.54 inches in 1955; 4.23 inches in 1993; and 3.99 inches in 1990.

There have been 10 days, out of 25 so far this August, which have not recorded rainfall in Cibola County, according to weather service records.

Drought status
The Eastern portion of Cibola County and South Central portion have been removed from drought status, Michalski said.

McKinley County is still under drought conditions, he said.

"We are still on alert to respond in case of more flooding," said Peggy Jordan, Cibola County emergency management coordinator.

"I am completing the administrative paperwork to apply for funds from the state for the disastrous flooding that struck the county," she said.

Jordan assessed the damages she has seen roads, bridges and culverts damaged, washed over and some now closed at probably more than $200,000, maybe even more.

"We have been trying to get people in the county to check their water wells for contamination and drain any standing water due to possible mosquito problems," she said.

Jordan and emergency responders, along with road department personnel have been making vector patrols, checking standing water in areas of the county that now need to be sprayed by insecticide to help keep the mosquito population, as well as the possibility of West Nile virus infections, down.

Disaster declaration
"We are waiting to see if the state can get a presidential declaration of disaster so federal resources can become available," Jordan said. "We don't know whether it will happen or if it does how long it will take."

Heavy rains flooded the east side of the county the first week of August, and this past week continuing storms put extra rain countywide, hitting the central part of the county, especially Grants pretty hard.

Several roads were closed in Grants earlier this week as runoff from rain high on Mt. Taylor cascaded down arroyos and onto and over Grants Streets.

Jordan said she has been providing sandbags to those who need them. A number of people from Ramah Navajo Chapter recently came and got number of sandbags due to flooding in that area.

"We only provided them with sandbags and nothing else which was reported elsewhere," she said. The Navajos provided Ramah Chapter with everything else it needed other than the sandbags, she said.

One of the federal resources available from a presidential disaster declaration is the Small Business Association would come into the area and offer low interest loans to citizens, Jordan said.

"The federal government cannot directly help private citizens," she said.

The American Red Cross, Cibola County Chapter has been providing assistance and information that has been valuable to the recovery effort, Jordan said.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: tiffin.independent@yahoo.com.