Declaring a State of Emergency Due to Flooding and Potential Additional Flooding, Utah Exec. Order No. 2017-2

This document was published in the April 15, 2017, issue (Vol. 2017, No. 8) of the Utah State Bulletin.

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Governor, Administration: Declaring a State of Emergency Due to Flooding and Potential Additional Flooding, Utah Exec. Order No. 2017-2

Issued: March 31, 2017

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EXECUTIVE ORDER

Declaring a State of Emergency Due to Flooding and Potential Additional Flooding

WHEREAS , on February 7th to February 27th of 2017, a significant weather system brought heavy rain, snow, and extensive snowmelt to Northern Utah;

WHEREAS , the Counties of Box Elder and Cache, and the communities of Brigham City, Garland, Elwood, Tremonton, Clarkston, Lewiston, and North Logan received the greatest and most significant amount of moisture;

WHEREAS , the snow pack in Northern Utah reached over 200% and additional rain and snow on top of the near record snowpack caused expeditious melt and widespread flooding;

WHEREAS , the widespread flooding caused severe damage to roads, bridges, culverts, homes, businesses, utilities, and to other private and public facilities and agriculture, overburdening the communities;

WHEREAS , the remaining snowpack continues to melt, causing rivers, streams, and tributaries to overflow or breach their banks;

WHEREAS , on February 14, 2017, Box Elder County declared a local emergency, and on February 15, 2017, Cache County declared a local emergency;

WHEREAS , the circumstances of this significant flood event were beyond the capacity of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single city, county, or city and county, and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat;

WHEREAS , the Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management increased activities to support the incident, implement response procedures, and coordinated resources to support local officials in alleviating the immediate social and economic impacts to people, property, and infrastructure, and is continuing to assess the magnitude of the event;

WHEREAS , these conditions do create a "State of Emergency" within the intent of the Disaster Response and Recovery Act found in Title 53, Chapter 2a of the Utah Code Annotated 1953, as amended;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gary R. Herbert, Governor of the State of Utah, by virtue of the power vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Utah, do hereby order that:

IT IS FOUND DETERMINED, AND DECLARED that a "State of Emergency" exists due to the aforesaid circumstances requiring aid, assistance, and relief from State resources.

I HEREBY ORDER the continued execution of the State Emergency Operations Plan and assistance from State government as needed and coordinated by the Department of Public Safety.

IN TESTIMONY, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Utah on this, the 31st day of March 2017.

(State Seal)

Gary R. Herbert

Governor, State of Utah

ATTEST:

Spencer J. Cox

Lieutenant Governor, State of Utah

2017/002/EO