Governor talks floods during Kalispell visit

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and a good part of his administration were in Kalispell Thursday to meet with local emergency responders and inform them of the state’s capabilities in assisting with flood response.

“We’re just here to remind everybody that we’re a team,” Schweitzer told Northwest Montana law enforcement, fire and local government officials at the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services. Earlier in the day, he had a similar meeting in Missoula.

The governor stressed that people living in flood-prone areas should regard themselves as the best first responders for their families and their neighbors. He urged people to think of the elderly, disabled or people living on their own and to assist them if they need it. He also said people should move livestock well in advance of any flooding event.

Jim Lynch, the director of the Montana Department of Transportation, said maintenance  personnel are regularly monitoring bridges and culverts and in some cases are actively involved in clearing debris.

He urged the public to report any situations that appear threatening to roads or bridges by calling his department or 911.

“If the public needs our assistance, we’re going to be there,” he said. “If the county needs our assistance we’re going to be there.”

Lt. Col. Rick Kostecki of the Army National Guard said there are 100 soldiers in the Kalispell area to provide immediate assistance, and more would be available from other parts of the state if necessary.

Bruce Measure, who chairs the Northwest Power and Conservation Council as a Schweitzer appointee, said he is confident that Libby and Hungry Horse Dams have been managed well to allow for plenty of storage for runoff while holding back on discharges to curb flooding on the Kootenai and Flathead rivers.

Also on hand at the meeting were Ed Tinsley, the state’s Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator and Mary Sexton, director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Their remarks were preceded by a presentation from Marty Whitmore, the warning response meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Missoula.

Whitmore stressed that peak runoffs have yet to come, even on rivers that have already exceeded flood stage, and the same goes for streams flowing from well-above average mountain snowpacks with water content.

The most remarkable is the water content at the Noisy Basin automated snow gauge on the Swan Mountains, which reached a record high of 80 inches and has just recently started to melt.

“Noisy Basin is one we’ve been watching all winter just because of the impressive amount of water in the pack,” he said. “We’re just now starting to tap into that.”

Whitmore said there is concern about small stream flooding from deep snow on the Swan, Mission and Cabinet mountains.

The Stillwater River has been flowing at or above its flood stage of 7.5 feet for the last few days, and it is forecasted to crest at 8.4 to 8.8 feet. But it is projected to flow at about a foot over flood throughout next week.

“The key here is we don’t truly know if this is the seasonal peak,” Whitmore said of the current high flows.

The Swan River downstream from Swan Lake is expected to reach 6.8 to 8 feet, while flood stage is 6 feet.

If it reaches 8 feet, ‘that would set an all-time record on that river,” Whitmore said.

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls is expected to reach 14.5 to 16 feet, while flood stage is 14 feet.

The Thompson and Yaak rivers both exceeded their flood stage flows last weekend and then dropped because of cooler weather. But Whitmore says that’s not end of the season for those rivers.

“We’re fairly confident that was not the last peak” for those rivers, he said.

Whitmore said moderate temperatures are expected for near future, but a significant warming period will accelerate snowmelt and flooding.

“The longer we go, the more chances we’ll get four or five days of 85-degree weather,” he said.

“We’ll prepare for the worst and we’ll pray for the best,” Schweitzer said in concluding the meeting.