Story Published: May 21, 2008 at 5:52 PM PST
Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 7:32 PM PST
The declaration allows the county to get additional support from the state when dealing with flood-related problems such as road and bridge damage.
So far, six counties are eligible to receive state assistance under the flood emergency declaration. The others are Idaho, Clearwater, Shoshone, Bonner and Kootenai counties.
In Orofino the worst seems to have passed. County Emergency Management Director Don Gardner said there had been little change since Tuesday, with no damage to report.
Jerry Zumalt, Disaster Management Coordinator for Idaho County, said Wednesday, he had no reports of flood waters in any residences in the county. He said inmates had sandbagged in Kooskia between the bridges and that the only residence with water around it is on the Middle Fork of the Clearwater two and half miles upstream from Kooskia.
Zumalt said the biggest threat in Idaho County is the main Salmon River near White Bird. Deputies were checking residences in the area. 5,000 empty sandbags were at the ready in Riggins, with 3,000 in White Bird.
Zumalt said deputies are not seeing any threatened properties and no calls had been made to the county about flooding.
He said the South Fork of the Clearwater at Stites was about a foot below flood stage and falling.
Thursday's forecast for the southern Clearwater Mountains includes up to 2" of rain and if temperatures rise there could be some flooding issues.
(Associated Press contributed to this story.)
