Benewah County added to North Idaho emergency declaration - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

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Benewah County added to North Idaho emergency declaration

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The cabin last year - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA The cabin last year - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA
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The cabin now - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA The cabin now - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA
The cabin now - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA The cabin now - Submitted by Jessica Stone of CDA

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  • Thursday, May 22 2008 6:15 PM EDT2008-05-22 23:15:53 GMT
    SPOKANE - Department of Transportation officials began escorting emergency and residential traffic through the flooded areas of State Route 206 Thursday as road repairs continued.
    SPOKANE - Department of Transportation officials began escorting emergency and residential traffic through the flooded areas of State Route 206 Thursday as road repairs continued.

  • Tuesday, May 20 2008 8:51 PM EDT2008-05-21 01:51:51 GMT
    SPOKANE, Wash. - At a Spokane press conference Tuesday, Governor Chris Gregoire made an emergency declaration for Spokane.
    SPOKANE, Wash. - At a Spokane press conference Tuesday, Governor Chris Gregoire made an emergency declaration for Spokane - specifically the area of Highway 206 near Mount Spokane where more than 1,000 feet of the road has already washed away.

  • Wednesday, May 14 2008 6:50 PM EDT2008-05-14 23:50:24 GMT
    SEATTLE, Wash. -  The  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, emergency management teams have been have alerted and are watching and monitoring river conditions in Washington, N. Idaho and W. Montana.
    SEATTLE, Wash. -  The  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, emergency management teams have been have alerted and are watching and monitoring river conditions in Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana in advance of the predicted warm temperatures.

E. WASH./N. IDAHO - Idaho's governor C.L. "Butch" Otter added Beneway County to North Idaho's flood emergency declaration Thursday.

He added Boundary County to the list Wednesday.

The addition brings the total number of Idaho counties eligible to receive state assistance to seven. They are Shoshone, Idaho, Clearwater, Boundary, Bonner, Benewah and Kootenai Counties.

The eastbound exit off I-90 at Cataldo (exit 40) remains closed due to water at the bottom of the off-ramp.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department Sunday sent a team of Marine Deputies with two vessels to Cataldo to assist in areas cut off by flood waters.

Crews encountered difficulty because the water was too shallow to launch motor boats but too deep to drive vehicles, and the current was too strong to use dinghys.

Also on KHQ.com

- Flooding concerns prompt North Idaho emergency declaration
- Flood Warnings issued in Coeur d'Alene
- Spokane officials urging  caution around river
- Army Corps monitoring northwest rivers
- National Weather Service flooding prediction maps
- New! KHQ Interactive: Your Weather Community

Latour Creek Road, CCC Road, River Road and Killarney Lake Road all have sections completely covered by water. If necessary marine deputies will ferry emergency responders across the flooded areas.

Crews in Cataldo began a 24-hour pumping operation to help remove standing water from the town.

The National Guard in North Idaho said Sunday that crews were completing assessments after a dam in Bonner County was damaged by high waters. They also reported several structures threatened by rising waters in the town of Burke, in Shoshone County.

Flood Warnings remain in effect for the Coeur d'Alene River at Cataldo in Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, and the St. Joe River at St. Maries, in Benewah and Shoshone Counties.

The Coeur d'Alene River is expected to crest Sunday a little over 2145 feet in elevation or just over two feet over flood stage.

Sunday the USGS took water samples of the Coeur d'Alene River in Kingston to test for sediments. All campsites in the Kingston area remained closed Sunday.

"No-Wake Zones" are in effect in Coeur d'Alene, meaning boaters are not allowed to create any wakes, in any sections of the water, including the entire Lake Coeur d'Alene.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Department urges people not to swim in the Spokane river this weekend as high temperatures could push water to dangerously high levels.

Officials warn that not only are waters moving very quickly in certain areas, but it is also still extremely cold and even short exposures could lead to hypothermia.

The rising water in the region is blamed on unseasonably warm temperatures combined with above normal snow pack. Temperatures between Friday and Monday will be 15 to 20 degrees above normal, but cooler weather forecasted to arrive with a cold front on Tuesday are expected to slow the rate of melting snow.