Impacts of MLK Day flood said minimal at Palouse

The aftermath of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day flood in Palouse was minimal. Two 16-foot swales raced down the channel of the North Palouse River and flooded Hayton Green Park and downtown basements.

Palouse police chief Jerry Neumann last Thursday told the Gazette very little damage was sustained in town.

Some specialized playground bark laid under the playground set at Hayton Green Park was picked up by flood waters and dumped around the rest of the park.

“The bark was all retained inside the park. I don’t think much of it washed downstream. There was some sort of eddy that day,” Neumann said.

Dried grass and debris clung unnaturally from picnic tables, tree trunks and garbage can lids three days after the flood, evidence of the massive movement of water.

Neumann said the river normally floods at least the Lions Club section of the park each year. River levels don’t become an issue for the town, he said, until they start topping 14 or 15 feet.

City staff order the evacuaton of downtown business and homes when the river levels begin to reach 17 or 18 feet, Neumann said.

The flood had two swales Jan. 17 which were recorded in Potlatch in the early morning hours. Word reached Palouse and Neumann said he and city staff were prepared and aware of the high water by the time the floods reached Palouse later that morning.