Mudslides in Lemhi County are starting to get cleaned up

LEMHI COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - In the first weekend of August, portions of the Salmon-Challis National Forest received between a half an inch to an inch of rainfall. This lead to numerous mudslides in some areas in the forest mainly north of Salmon. The burn scars from the Moose Fire last year in these areas helped to accelerate the mudslides.

The main problem that resulted from this was road closures. Salmon Creek Road and Panther Creek Road were closed down from Saturday night up into Sunday night due to numerous mudslides across their roadways. Crews worked through the night and into the next day on Sunday to at least get the roads clear. In the process, many travelers were left stranded overnight from the closures.

The problem is still far from done. Crews need to find contractors to clean up the mess from the slides on the sides of the road. The Salmon-Challis National Forest tells us that this process could take weeks if not months.

For future reference, officials say to avoid the drainage areas into the Salmon River during severe storms. These areas are more prone to mudslides.