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Former Sen. Dave Watson briefs Senate on Washington County flood recovery, seeks $2.5 million in private funds
Summary
Former Sen. Dave Watson told the Utah Senate the Washington County floods destroyed and damaged dozens of homes and described a fundraising effort centered on a 10,000-copy book and a Salt Palace dinner aiming to raise about $2.5 million to help affected residents; he thanked the legislature for a low-interest loan to aid infrastructure.
Former senator Dave Watson appeared before the Utah State Senate in a Committee of the Whole to brief members on flood damage in Washington County and to promote an evening fundraising dinner aimed at private relief.
Watson said the group produced a 10,000-copy commemorative book documenting the flooding and its impacts and described it as the cornerstone of a fundraising campaign. "We printed 10,000. Over half of them are already gone," he said, and added the private fundraising goal for the effort is "about 2 and a half million dollars privately to help put those people back in their equitable position where they stood prior to the flood." He credited the House, the Senate and the governor for their support to date, including a low-interest loan to counties and cities to put infrastructure back in place.
Watson gave a damage assessment to the chamber: "There were over 20 homes that were actually damaged, gone, collapsed into the river. Another 20 are precariously sitting on a cliff. They may be stabilized. They may not be, and probably another 60 homes were damaged by water damage." He said a 501(c)(3) committee has been organized to coordinate relief and that some rebuilding will require relocating households because lots no longer exist.
Senator Hickman made the motion to resolve the Senate into a Committee of the Whole to hear Watson, and senators expressed appreciation for the briefing. Watson urged colleagues to attend the Salt Palace fundraising dinner and described plans to build multiple homes as part of a series of "21st-century barn-raising" events to help survivors recover.
The Committee of the Whole lasted only minutes and was dissolved after Watson's remarks. No formal legislative action was taken during the presentation; senators were invited to participate in the private fundraising event and thanked Watson for the report.
Ending: The Senate returned to its regular calendar after the brief Committee of the Whole; Watson's appeal placed private fundraising alongside existing public low-interest loans as part of flood recovery efforts.
