Elmore County declared disaster area due to slides in mountains

Slides have closed several of the roads in the mountains in Elmore County.

Due to extensive damage to critical transportation infrastructure, Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter has issued a State Declaration of Emergency in support of Elmore County. The declaration, approved by the Governor today, ensures the safety of the residents of Atlanta and enables access to federal and state funding to repair the damage.

The Atlanta Highway District reports heavy rain and flooding occurred Aug. 4 -- 8.

The heavy rainfall fell on areas that had burned in recent years, and caused landslides that redirected the flow of the Boise River. As a result, the Middle Fork Road has been washed out for approximately 700 feet and the Boise River is flooding another portion of the road blocking access to the community of Atlanta.

Engineers have estimated permanent repair to the Middle Fork Road, within the Atlanta Highway District, to exceed $2 million. Officials are working to conduct emergency repair, sufficient enough to allow the road to open, prior to the onset of winter which closes the other access routes to Atlanta.

Elmore County declared a local declaration of emergency on Aug. 12, and on Aug. 25 requested a State Proclamation of Disaster Emergency. The Governor's declaration is a prerequisite to access Federal Highway Association Emergency Relief (FHWA ER) funding, and enables state funding to assist in the repair.

"We've been working with the Idaho Transportation Department and Elmore County to find engineering and funding options to get the road to Atlanta open before winter," said Brigadier General Brad Richy, IBHS director. "Projects like these are complex and take a team to solve. Given the amount of acres that have burned across Idaho the past few years, we hope to mitigate as many of these risks as possible, before they become larger issues."