BOZEMAN, Mont. – Gallatin County Emergency Management is asking residents to take precautionary measures to ensure homes are protected in case of flooding.
“Flooding could occur, flooding might not occur,” said Chief of Gallatin County Emergency Management Patrick Lonergan. “We know that risk exists and really, the key message this time of year is we want to keep the water flowing.”
Lonergan wants to keep the water flowing down the creeks, rivers, and streams but not into residents’ homes. He said the best way to ensure a house doesn’t become damaged from runoff water is by preparing.
“Once that flooding occurs, the damage is done. So time spent on the front end and being proactive on instituting your protective measures can go a long way,” said Lonergan. “So make sure that if you have vents into your crawl space or you have basement windows that the snow is not up against those. So as it melts it has less of a chance of impacting your basement.”
Another popular way of preparing for the chance of flooding is using sandbags to divert the water from going into your house. However, Lonergan said residents should look into where to buy the sandbags and recognize it will take time to set up the barriers.
