FOUNTAIN GREEN, Sanpete County — In a small town in Sanpete County, people are busy cleaning up after a severe flood.
More than 50 percent of the city was affected by flooding Sunday after three inches of rain fell in just an hour, Mayor Mark Coombs said.
The storm caused water to enter Preston and Robyn Cox’s basement.
“I’ve never seen rain like this before,” Preston Cox told KSL TV on Monday as he cleared debris.
He described hearing a “loud growling” the day before and seeing water shooting out from under his fence. The water blew out the Coxes’ basement windows and filled the room with nearly 8 feet of water.
The Coxes’ basement on August 19, 2024 after the flood. (Greg Anderson, KSL TV)
The couple was able to save a few photos, but there was no time for anything else.
“When the water hit, we were under water within ten minutes,” said Robyn Cox. “Everything on the ground floor was destroyed.”
Next door, Holly Oldroyd took a video of water seeping into her basement windows.
“From the time the first window broke to the second and third, when we were four feet under water, was about a minute and a half,” Oldroyd said. “It happened quickly.”
City officials were still assessing the damage Monday afternoon. They said most people affected by the flooding had several feet of water inside and some families were left homeless, but no one was injured. The American Red Cross was on the scene Monday assisting.
Fountain Green Elementary School was also flooded. Robyn Cox is the principal there.
“About five classrooms were flooded,” she said, noting that the damage was not too extensive. “We have cancelled classes for today and will start again tomorrow.”
The Fountain Green Elementary School parking lot after the flood. (Greg Anderson, KSL TV)
For others, however, the cleanup will take much longer. But people from all over the area have come together to do it.
“Preston and I will never be able to thank the community enough,” said Robyn Cox. “Everyone was here so quickly tonight.”
Preston Cox, who teaches math at nearby Moroni Middle School, became emotional as he described the outpouring of support.
“Children are coming who I have taught. I haven’t seen their parents for years. People are coming who I probably haven’t seen for 20 years,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable.”
The community has really stepped up to help the people of Fountain Green clean up. The basement of this house is also destroyed. @KSL5TV #utwx pic.twitter.com/VABogDl2Ia
– Daniel Woodruff (@danielmwoodruff) 19 August 2024
Although his house suffered severe damage from the flood, Preston Cox was optimistic.
“We will take care of them,” he said. “We will keep going.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Coombs said the City of Fountain Green is in the process of declaring a state of emergency to obtain additional resources for the recovery period.
As for the possibility of federal aid, a spokesman for Gov. Spencer Cox, who is from Sanpete County and was on the scene Sunday when the flooding struck, said the Department of Emergency Management has not yet received any requests from Fountain Green, but that it is unlikely this flooding will meet the threshold needed for federal aid.
We’ve had some flooding this week and today the town of Fort Green was hit hard. A rain gauge measured 3 inches in an hour. I’m still counting but it’s possible that half the homes are damaged. These are the people I grew up with and they are some of the best people in the world. If you only had 4… pic.twitter.com/ornhoX33qR
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) 19 August 2024
