After the deluge, Mesquite takes stock and couple who lost house wonder what’s next

MESQUITE -- Water that worked its way into a Mesquite neighborhood Tuesday was slowly easing out by Wednesday morning. Mud covered some sidewalks, and a line of sandbags ran up and down East Mesquite Boulevard where it dead-ends just shy of the rain-swollen Virgin River.

The authorities were still cleaning up Wednesday, so they weren't sure how much damage had been done.

The worst of it appeared to be in Beaver Dam, Ariz., 10 miles north of Mesquite, where six houses in a senior golf community were washed away and as many as five more are threatened.

A Review-Journal photographer captured video of the first house toppling into the swollen Beaver Dam Wash and floating downstream.

The footage has been broadcast nationwide, from the 24-hour news networks to NBC's "Today" show, so Sharon Wendt has seen it several times now.

"It is surreal. I think, 'Oh my gosh, there goes my house again,' " she said.

Wendt and her husband, Frank, narrowly missed seeing it happen in person because they were busy hauling tools and other possessions to higher ground.

"We knew it was going to happen. We could hear the house behind us groaning," Wendt said. "It was just unbelievable to watch the soil erode right out from under it like that."

Fortunately, the 1,050-square-foot house was empty.

Wendt said they were hoping to move into their new winter home at the end of January after working on the place over the past year.

Now she's not sure what they're going to do.

They hadn't gotten around to insuring the house yet, and rebuilding might not be an option.

"I don't think we even have ground there anymore," she said. "We're thinking about packing up the motor home and going back to Idaho for the winter to regroup."

For now, they are counting their blessings and trying to laugh a little through the tears, she said, her voice cracking.

Wendt's favorite joke so far: "We should look for a motor and have a houseboat on Lake Mead," she said. "You can't lose your sense of humor."

After all, everyone got out OK, their dog included, and the house wasn't filled with irreplaceable keepsakes.

Wendt said they also are thankful for their neighbors, who woke them at 1 a.m. Tuesday when the water began to rise and have been helping ever since.

Back in Mesquite, officials said a small amount of water got into three houses, and some baseball fields and at least one golf course on the east end of town were covered in mud.

People in about 30 houses voluntarily evacuated when it was not clear how bad the flooding would be. Most stayed at the Virgin River Resort, which put them up for free.

One evacuee was a home hospice patient who was transported to St. George, Utah.

But overall, there was not much to say. By 9 a.m. Wednesday, the line of mud along the road provided clear evidence that the water had begun to recede.

Folks were worried that a new rain cell that was supposed to come around by 10 a.m. Wednesday would make things worse, but it never materialized.

The drizzle that made things dank and chilly all night continued, letting up a little by midday.

Few people were out and about as the rain fell. One man quickly stopped by his house in the flooded area to grab a few things. He said no water got in and no damage was done.

A large front loader already was cleaning up the muck, pushing the accumulated mud from the street and into the desert.

Still, city officials said, they were aware that more rain could come and make things worse.

"It's not going to be over for a couple of days," Mayor Susan Holecheck said.

Officials said they had thousands more sandbags waiting to be filled, and they had offers of help from cities and towns in the area. They urged volunteers not to just show up, however, as there wasn't much to do.

The mayor said much was learned from flooding in 2005.

She said that storm surprised most people with its severity. This time, she said, they were ready. Sandbags were being laid by the time the flooding started, and volunteers were waiting to help.

"I hope this doesn't happen every five years," Holecheck said.

Another area heavily flooded in 2005 also escaped any serious damage this time around.

Tim Sutko, senior hydrologist for the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, said only a small amount of runoff from the Caliente area is feeding Meadow Valley Wash and the Muddy River. As a result, there have been no reports of significant flooding in Logandale and Overton, both of which were inundated five years ago.

"I just don't see anything happening on the Muddy," Sutko said.

A flash flood warning remains in effect for the Overton area until 12:30 p.m Friday.

High water continues to cause problems in southern Utah, where a bridge is threatening to collapse on North Ash Creek, a tributary of the Virgin River, leaving some residents stranded in a rural community 40 miles north of St. George.

Review-Journal writer Keith Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.