Red Lodge mayor details flooding, community needs
MISSOULA, Mont. — In Red Lodge, the community continues to battle flood conditions, as rivers in the area remain at record levels.
“Right now, we are needing basic services, and the city is working to try to restore those,” Red Lodge Mayor Kristen Cogswell said.
Much of Red Lodge remains under water as officials work to restore services like water and roadways in the area.
“Last night was the first night that we had both water and power, but that's only true for half the town. The other half of the town east of Broadway still doesn't have water, because there are still some problems with the water mains,” Cogswell said.
Cogswell says it's tough to identify some of the issues going on because water is still high, and getting to some of the problems is nearly impossible.
Some solutions to basic services have required innovative temporary fixes -- like supplying the town with electricity.
“Our crews and engineers were able to come up with plans to restore service to our customers in Red Lodge as quickly as possible, and now we are working permanent repairs,” NorthWestern Energy public relations specialist Jo Dee Black said.
While crews and officials continue trying to repair and maintain basic services in the area, Cogswell has one request from people.
“It would be good if people could put a pause on coming to Red Lodge,” she said. “We have too many people who are looking into the river. They shouldn't be crossing the barricades. This is our tourist season, and we want to warmly welcome back our tourists. We want to do it in as safe a manner as possible.”
Cogswell says they haven't been able to properly address how much damage has been done in the area, but the town will definitely need money to repair and restore what was damaged.
If you would like to donate, the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation set up a disaster relief fund. You can find more details on how to donate by clicking this link.
According to one volunteer in the area multiple businesses have been assisting in emergency efforts like; Pizza Hut Laurel, Dominos Laurel, Dominos Shiloh, Albertsons Rehberg, and Grand, Newman Restoration & Cleaning, Rural Broadband, Collective Elevation Billings, Connor Lorenz Real Estate, Aarons Furniture, Blaze Pizza, Ox Throwing, Hot 101.9, Cajun Phattys, Jersey Mikes, TOPZ Sandwich, Cloudz vapes, Ashley Delp Realty, Alpha Overhead Doors, OverTime, Tektonics DJ Company, Country Roads Contracting
