flood mitigation

Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) specialists recently completed their field data evaluation to produce the Soil Burn Severity (SBS) map for the Pipeline Fire, which delineate unburned, low, moderate, and high SBS categories.

A Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has started surveying the fire-affected areas located within the Pipeline Fire perimeter.

BAER team assessments are rapid evaluations of post-fire conditions of the burned landscape. These assessments determine the level of risk from potential flooding and debris flow, and calculate how these risks will affect both human safety and the natural and cultural resources in the area.

The  Coconino County Flood Control District (District) has set up several sandbag stations in the Pipeline Fire Area for residents to install around their homes in preparation of post-wildfire flooding.

Sandbags and sandbag materials are currently available at the Copeland Detention Basin, the entrance of which is located just off of Hwy 89 at Copeland Lane.

The Copeland Detention Basin has both a self-serve sandbag station and pre-made sandbags. The self-serve station includes empty sandbags and fill material.

 As Coconino County residents begin to return to their homes in the aftermath of the Pipeline and Haywire fires, the County’s Flood Control District would like to make the entire community aware of the potential risk of flooding, and the steps the public can take to mitigate their property and be Flood Aware.

Residents may already be familiar with the 3 Step “Ready, Set, Go” wildfire system of preparedness and evacuation. For the risk of flooding, a similar, easy-to-remember system of “Ready, Set, Shelter” is helpful to prepare for and respond to flood events: