this week has hit the community hard, but it should not be entirely unexpected during summer monsoonal rain events. Two 100-year flood corridors converge in the heart of downtown - Pack and Mill Creeks - and flood hazard mapping shows that about 75% of the town’s center would be inundated. Increasing urban development and street-generated stormwater drainage probably exacerbated the situation.
FEMA’s flood hazard map for Moab, Utah. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Here’s more about the map shown above, including a legend and a zoomable viewer: Link to FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Service Center.
Fortunately there were no fatalities reported, just a lot of property damage. The cleanup: Image gallery at the Moab Times-Independent.