Heavy flooding in Lincoln County has closed roads, washed out bridges, and inundated homes in and around the towns of Troy and Libby.
At least six bridges and roads have been washed out. Aerial photos show rows of homes and buildings submerged in water. Troy and Libby have borne the brunt of the damage so far.
"There's a lot of houses underwater," said Libby resident Cody Katzer, a lineman with Flathead Electric Cooperative.
Katzer has been working nonstop since Thursday evening.
"And in fact some where the power lines are. Of course, we have to take that into consideration and make sure that those areas are safe, of course."
He’s seen uprooted trees and washed-out banks in all directions. Katzer says his property is safe, but his neighbor’s home wasn’t as lucky.
"That water is so high it's actually going around, he's encircled. He's surrounded."
An atmospheric river drove bands of heavy rain into western Montana all week, with warmer-than-usual temperatures melting some mountain snowpack.
The National Weather Service reports as much as 6.5 inches of rain fell in western Lincoln County in just a day. That's the third wettest 24 hours for the region on record.
"We're seeing some of the mainstem rivers leveling off right now and there's going to be another bout of rainfall tonight and tomorrow morning," Meteorologist Dave Noble said. "We're not expecting it to be as much as what we saw last night."
Officials said bridges were still being washed out as of late Thursday afternoon. The City of Libby has issued a boil water order for all users on the city water system. Officials are asking residents in the region not to travel unless necessary.
Bridges and roads impacted by the flooding as of include:
- Libby Creek Bridge on Farm to Market – Washed Out
- Granite Creek Bridge – Washed Out
- Libby Creek Road – Washed Out
- Keeler Creek Bridge – Washed Out
- 5th Street Extension – Compromised
- Hwy 2 South (MP 44) – Standing Water / Hazardous Conditions
Emergency updates can be found at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. More information on road conditions is available at https://caltopo.com/m/2QBJPM5
