UPDATE: 5:01 p.m. - June 15, 2022
KALISPELL - Flathead County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to anticipated and current flooding.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office also is reporting some closure changes due to flood waters.
Blankenship and Rabe roads are open to resident traffic only.
Meanwhile, sandbag supply and fill stations have been set up in the following locations:
- Columbia Falls City Shop, 700 9th St West
- Applied Materials Parking Lot (Old Shopko)
- Echo Lake Fire Station, 735 Echo Lake Rd
- Whitefish: Corner of Railway Street and Columbia Ave (snow lot)
- Whitefish: Schellinger Construction has also made sand available free of charge at its pits on Whitefish Stage and Farm to Market Road.
For updates on evacuations and road closures be sure to monitor the Flathead County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
The Sheriff's Office has also established an information line for community members at 406-758-2111.
(first report: 3:34 p.m. - June 15, 2022)
COLUMBIA FALLS - Flathead County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to anticipated and current flooding.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services are working within Incident Command System (ICS) structure, according to a news release.
- RELATED: Some flood evacuations lifted in Columbia Falls
- RELATED: Flooding will continue in the Flathead Valley
Sheriff Brian Heino will serve as Incident Commander for the response.
There is a pre-evacuation notice in place for low-lying areas across Flathead County.
Official evacuation notices have been issued for the following areas:
- Leisure Road, Kalispell
- Blankenship Road from Blankenship Bridge to the North Fork Road
Additional road closures are also in effect:
- North Hill Top Road in Columbia Falls (Open to resident traffic only)
- From Steel Bridge Road to Muddy Drive in Kalispell
- West Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road between Mazie Creek and Graves Creek Road
- 7-mile Upper Whitefish/Stryker Road in the Stillwater State Forest
Evacuations have been lifted in the following areas and roads are open to resident traffic only:
- Rabe Road, Columbia Falls
- Lake Drive and Bailey Lake Area in Columbia Falls
Residents are urged to monitor water conditions on the National Weather Service website.
Video from Lexx Riley shows Tuesday evening’s flooding between Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse. Watch below.
