Commissioners likely to declare disaster after damages, expenses from snowfall, heavy rain.
Heavy rain expected for the next several days means Latah County will be monitoring Paradise Creek and the Palouse River for flooding.
The Northwest River Forecast Center is predicting with 95 percent certainty that the Palouse River near Potlatch will reach flood stage this morning. It is predicted to crest at 19 feet tonight – 4 feet over flood stage – and remain over flood stage until late Thursday.
If it does, it will be the third highest crest recorded by the center, below only the 22.15 feet on Feb. 9, 1996 and the 21.08 feet on Jan. 16, 1974.
The winter’s heavy snowfall and recent rain has created so much damage and extra expense that the Latah County Commissioners expect to declare a disaster emergency Wednesday.
On Monday, the commissioners discussed declaring a disaster with representatives from the North and South Latah County Highway districts and Disaster Services Coordinator Mike Neelon. All showed support for the disaster declaration.
By declaring a disaster, the county would be asking financial assistance from the state and could potentially receive help from the federal level, also.
“I am very much supportive of trying to figure out how to provide relief to all the different taxing districts within Latah County that have been damaged by a series of storms,” said County Commissioner Tom Lamar.