Families Displaced From Their Homes Due to Dangerous Floods

People are being displaced from their homes because of the massive flooding in the Treasure Valley.

About a dozen residents at Caldwell Campground and RV Park had to move because of high water. It’s right off I-84 and backs up to the Boise River, so you can only imagine how disastrous it was.

The owner dumped 35 truckloads of gravel and put over 1,700 sandbags around the outside of the property to try and protect the people there so they wouldn’t have to leave, but it just wasn't enough.

Some of the residents are now staying at the Canyon County fairgrounds for a discounted price.

The good thing is no one was hurt and there was no huge damages to the RV's at this point.

The flooding also led to an almost 30-year-old bridge having to be removed yesterday. The area where the Plantation Bridge connected the Greenbelt to Plantation Island continued to be eroded by the water, so there was really no other choice, if they didn’t take it down, the risk is it falls into the river and gets carried down and wipes out another bridge or causes major damages. Boise Parks and Rec also has closed eight sections of the Greenbelt due to the high waters.

There will be a gap in the Greenbelt until at least June, if not longer. It’s a major expense to fix too, anywhere between $16,000 and $20,000.

Gov. "Butch" Otter said the federal government turned down his request for disaster aid,. That means they denied millions of dollars to help pay for the cost of damages from the severe winter floods and storms.

A letter from FEMA said that "supplemental federal assistance is not necessary based on a review of the state's capabilities". This year's winter storm has already caused an estimated $30 million in structural damage to the state's roads and bridges.
He does say he plans on appealing the decision.

Stay safe and keep your kids and pets away from the dangerous waters!