Uintah County declares 30-day state of emergency after October storm and flooding

The chair of the Uintah County Commission declared a state of emergency on Oct. 14, 2025, after a storm and subsequent flooding caused extensive damage to public and private property across the county. The order, effective immediately, authorizes the expenditure of emergency funds, the invoking of mutual-aid agreements and a request for assistance from the State of Utah; it will remain in effect for 30 days unless extended by the commission.

County officials said the storm washed out roads and caused damage to bridges, homes, businesses and utilities, and that emergency response operations remain active and strained. The declaration places the county's emergency operations plan in effect and clears county staff to use available resources to respond to and recover from the event.

The declaration says the cost and magnitude of the response "is far in excess of the county's available resources," and directs staff to pursue state assistance and any mutually available agreements. The chair of the commission announced that the county will apply to the state for assistance with road repairs and other recovery costs.

Clerk/Auditor Mike Wilkins provided financial context during the meeting about other agenda items, but county leaders did not provide a detailed damage estimate during the session. County staff indicated they would return with further information and next steps as the assessment of damage and requests for state assistance proceed.

The declaration does not record a formal, separate roll-call vote in the meeting record; the order was issued by the chair as an immediate executive action to enable response and recovery activities.