PRICE, Utah — Volunteers at the Carbon County Fairgrounds spent Monday rapidly filling sandbags in preparation for severe weather expected later in the evening. Those who live in Price and the surrounding areas said they're being proactive, which gives them time to come together and look after one another.
“I think we got about 45 sandbags, and we are taking them to a few of the families that we know who aren't able to come out and get them," said Price resident Jeneil Greenhalgh.
“I got 25, and they're going to my parents' house and then a couple businesses on Main Street in Wellington," added Wellington resident Jake Hardy.
Both Jeneil and Charity Greenhalgh said they normally have no choice but to deal with the aftermath of a storm, and are now taking advantage of the time to be proactive.
“We've got a bunch of animals. We just got to make sure that they're in safe spaces where they're not going to end up being in standing water for a long period of time, or in a dangerous situation that they don't need to be in," they said. “Notifying those who are not part of social media, elderly people who don't are watching that. Just keeping track of each other.”
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For some, tackling severe weather comes down to years of practice.
“If you built your house on a floodplain, you gotta be aware of that," said Hardy. "And then we've got everybody out here putting sand in the bag to help people out. It comes down to that. You just over the years learn where the water runs and try to guard against it.”
Residents shared how small towns need to come together during times of uncertainty.
“It's really cool just to see how, like, united that we are, and how united we can be, even when we kind of get caught up in our day-to-day-to-day lives," said Jeneil.
“You got the entire community out here helping; they’re not getting paid. Hopefully someone is taking care of their house," Hardy said.
One sandbag at a time, volunteers helped to keep family, friends and neighbors safe.
"Just reach out if it's your neighbor, if it's somebody at the gas station. I mean, anybody is willing to help as long as they know that there's a need," Charity said.
Anyone needing sandbags can pick them up at the Fairgrounds, Price City domes, or in Helper by the cemetery. They will be available to those who need them until they run out.
