OGDEN, Utah — Utahns are coming together as the state braces for flooding after a historic snowpack this past winter.
Much of that includes filling and distributing sandbags.
Joseph Kerry has been tracking and posting videos of the concerning water levels flowing through the Ogden River to his community Instagram page (@otownutah) for a month now.
“I look at the depth of the water now, and then when you look at the mountains and you see all of the snow that’s still up there and the warmer temperatures, it’s a sobering thought,” he said.
He says he was surprised by how many people wanted to get involved.
“A lot of people were just like, 'Hey, thank you — it was just a reminder that maybe we should get sandbags, maybe we should check on our parents,'" he added. "I think one of the great things is that as you read the comments, you see people say they’re giving sandbags out at the church, or this business has free sandbags or the city has dirt, and that’s just great to see a community come together that way.”
And that sense of community isn't unique to just Ogden this weekend.
About 80 miles south, volunteers were hard at work filling sandbags in Spanish Fork.
“Sent out a call for volunteers yesterday afternoon through the local churches and some of our social media groups and CERT programs, and this is the response. These folks are just coming out of the woodwork to help," said Spanish Fork public information officer Nick Porter.
Porter says they’re working to get ahead of the rising Spanish Fork River.
“We’ve been looking really closely at river flow predictions recently, and this most current prediction has us reaching about 2,000 cubic feet per second as soon as Tuesday," he said.
Once sandbags are loaded up at the fairgrounds, volunteers take them along the river where they build walls to protect their neighbors' homes.
“This has been since 1 o’clock. People have just been all the way down the river doing this," said Paul Hall, whose house is along the river.
He says he's grateful and unsurprised at the number of people in his backyard Saturday.
"I think the Spanish Fork community has always been like this. Everybody just steps in and helps," Hall said.
“Now’s the time to watch out for your neighbors, check on your parents, and just make sure everybody has what they need. Stick together and stay safe," Kerry added.
