A heavy storm in Provo, Utah, on Wednesday evening has led to a significant mudslide, primarily affecting areas around the Buckley Draw burn scar. The deluge, described by KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson as a trigger for the mudslide, not only burdened local infrastructure but also enveloped a church building belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with mud reaching as high as four feet, according to coverage by KUTV.
Following the storm, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) crews and residents worked together to remove approximately 13,440 tons of debris, with over 200 volunteers contributing to the efforts. Provo Public Works Director Gordon Haight divulged to KSL NewsRadio the extent of the damage to the church, where "it covered up portions of windows. One of the doors in the kitchen broke through, putting about three or four feet of mud into the church." Despite the devastation rendered by the elements, the community's cohesion became a noted counterpoint to nature's indifferent might.
As residents grappled with the aftermath, which included nearly burying a car under the sludge, the city officials requested the public to avoid affected areas and adhere to detour routes. The U.S. Forest Service and National Weather Service labeled the storm a once-in-a-decade event, but due to the fire burn scars, the impact was effectively scaled up to mimic a 25-year storm event, reported ABC4. This classification suggests that the storm has a mere 4% chance of occurring annually.
Local homeowner Parley Smith received an email from his church leader, appealing for volunteer assistance, which he provided. "I was kind of expecting something like this could happen because of the heavy rain we had after the fire on the mountain there," Smith told ABC4. Debris channels, designed to shield residential structures, largely succeeded, yet the church situated at the juncture of Nevada Avenue and Slate Canyon Drive bore the substantial brunt of the mudslide. The cleanup operations are ongoing to reopen all roads and resume normalcy ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
