Heavy rains take out roads in southeastern towns

Clark County Board of Supervisors Chairman Wayne Hendrickson issued an emergency disaster declaration on Tuesday to help out multiple townships that sustained significant road damage after heavy rains that began last week.

Town officials are assessing and repairing extensive road damage, said county Emergency Management Director Jason Thornton on Tuesday, and no damage estimates are yet available. The worst of the damage was in southeastern parts of the county, particularly in the Chili area and in the towns of Fremont, Lynn and Sherman, with other washouts scattered about the county. Clark County was not forced to shut down any of its roadways, but numerous gravel roads belonging to townships were closed and barricaded through the weekend.

Thornton -- whose first official day on the job was Monday after he replaced former director John Ross -- said he toured damaged areas Monday afternoon and saw that floodwaters took out several culverts and created washouts that forced road closures.

“I know there are multiple townships with multiple roads that

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO are washed out and impassable,” Thornton said on Tuesday. “They were working on repairing them and some of them may be reopening. There are some culverts that are gone on some of the roads.”

With the emergency disaster declaration, municipalities that sustained damge will have access to a streamlined process of applying for state financial assistance to cover the cost of repairs. Rather than each township filing its own claim, a joint claim can be filed through the county. Towns are responsible now for paying for the repairs, with the hope the state will declare a disaster from the rain event and eventually provide financial assistance for the repairs.