As spring arrives, South Salt Lake is keeping watch for the possibility of flooding from snowmelt. Flooding can occur quickly, though, leaving little time to react. So, the city will be holding a flood preparedness training on April 4 to help residents learn how to prepare and handle a flood situation. 

The training will provide residents with tips on how to stay safe during a flooding event, information on how to effectively fill and disperse sandbags, and how to deploy mobile dams. They will have a presentation from the National Weather Service on flood predictions and food safety tips. 

Last year, South Salt Lake and the whole of Salt Lake County dealt with severe flooding from snowmelt in the mountains. 

“Last year, SSL Emergency Management worked with our CERT team, community members, and SSL employees to fill 30,000 sandbags in the event of a flooding event,” said Yasmin Abbyad, South Salt Lake Emergency Management coordinator. 

According to the National Weather Service website, preparing for a flood can save your life and give you peace of mind as one occurs. They recommend creating a communications plan with friends and family to know how to get in contact with each other should a flood start. Whether it’s a simple text or a location to meet at if things get bad, having that plan can help people get out quickly if the situation calls for it. 

The training provided by South Salt Lake will teach people how to prepare their home, so if evacuation is needed, the home will still be safe. South Salt Lake Emergency Management Team will explain how to properly fill sandbags and the right way to lay them to keep houses safe from flood water. 

“During the Flood Preparedness and Response training our goal is to share predictions for possible flooding from the National Weather Service, to share tips and tricks to protect yourself and your property during a flood event and learn how you can volunteer with South Salt Lake if we see a flood event this spring or in the future by setting up mobile dams and filling and stacking sandbags,” Abbyad said. 

South Salt Lake Emergency Management encourages all South Salt Lake residents to sign-up for alerts to receive notifications to your phone in emergency situations. 

“Signing up for emergency alerts helps residents know if there is an emergency or incident happening in South Salt Lake,” Abbyad said. “This helps keep you and your loved ones safe.” 

Abbyad and the rest of the management team are searching for volunteers to the community in times of crisis. To sign-up to be a volunteer, go to the Emergency Management website, www.sslc.gov/413/Emergency-Management, and fill out the form on the right side of the page. 

South Salt Lake is also holding a Community Emergency Response Team training. Residents can take the online portion and join them in person in June for additional training. 

The flood preparedness training will take place at the Co-Op at South Salt Lake Community Center, 2530 S. 500 East, on April 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. λ