MOSCOW, Idaho — Moscow city crews are on the lookout for flooding following the snowfall Wednesday.
As temperatures rise and snow melts, the city said they’re prepared for the possibility, though city officials said they’re not anticipating flooding at this point.
Moscow’s landscape can make flood response tricky. Moscow’s Paradise Creek is the city’s primary drainage and can rise quickly. With new snow that’s already starting to melt, city crews hope that doesn’t happen.
"At this point, the creek is pretty low. It's got nowhere to go but up," said Deputy city Supervisor Tyler Palmer.
Moscow street crews have been busy plowing streets. They're also keeping an eye on how quickly the snow is melting and how Paradise creek is acting.
"They're not just getting the deicing and anti-icing materials and plows going, they're also making sure that they have sand and sandbags staged and ready to deploy if that becomes necessary," said Palmer.
Moscow said the creek will rise, but they're not expecting flooding for now. If that happened, it would be a one-two punch for crews.
"We're a pretty small city. So the same staff that's working on snow removal then has to turn around and work on flood response. So it can make for some long days," Palmer said.
Last April, when record floods damaged homes and businesses, is still fresh in people’s minds. City officials said it serves as an example of the quick, downhill runway between Moscow mountain and the city.
City officials said sand piles are stocked up, if need be. Staff will also continue to watch snow totals and keep an eye on Paradise creek.