Livingston Begins Assessing Flood Damage

With the Yellowstone River flood warning expiring at midnight Friday, this river city is shifting gears from response to recovery after two weeks of flooding.

But the process of assessing the flood’s damage has just begun. Answers as to the amount of the destruction, how to fix it, and how to pay for it may be weeks away, according to the city manager.

“We are still identifying how we are going to assess the damage,” said City Manager Steve Golnar. “We also must decide how to divide the bills for work associated with the flood.”

The estimated cost of Livingston’s response to the flood is about $62,650, Golnar said, adding the estimate is subject to change.

The city feared the gushing Yellowstone might break through the banks at Sacajawea Park and wipe out the Miles Park baseball fields and the band shell. According to Golnar, city workers concentrated most of their efforts on reinforcing the banks.

“The river threatened to break through, but it didn’t happen because crews were able to keep it back,” said Golnar. Now, however, the city must decide what to do with the enormous bank workers had to build to contain the Yellowstone.