North Idaho flooding damages roads, prompts a rescue and forces evacuations

Flooding in North Idaho has washed over roads, closed trails, prompted evacuations and nearly trapped a Kingston family inside their residence before they were rescued by firefighters.

The high waters washed over areas of Kootenai, Shoshone and Bonner counties on Thursday, just after the National Weather Service issued a warning that the Coeur d’Alene River at Cataldo may rise due to snowmelt. Shoshone County declared a state of emergency Thursday and deployed additional patrol units and EMS to help.

Affected areas include Coeur d’Alene River Road, Beaver Creek, Prichard Creek and the St. Joe River Road, the county wrote on its Facebook page. 

People in and near Clark Fork, Idaho, were also encouraged to evacuate to Sandpoint Friday. Others were told to stay out of the area, according to a social media post from the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. Waters on Thursday scaled the garages of some homes in Shoshone County, leaving one family stranded .

According to Silver Valley Fire Rescue, first responders saved two adults and a child with a swift water rescue boat around 11 a.m. Thursday. The family was trapped 8 miles up Coeur d’Alene River Road in Kingston. No one was injured, the first responders wrote on Facebook.

Patrick Lair, a spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, said Forest Service staff are reporting damage in several areas of the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District, including Beaver Creek Road, Old River Road, Little North Fork Road, Bumblebee Meadows, West Eagle Creek Road and the highway near Murray.

On the St. Joe Ranger District, staff have reported damage upstream of the town of Avery, including large trees and rocks down on the road along the St. Joe River. Lair added that there’s a rockslide blocking Forest Road 218 in the upper part of the drainage, though he did not know exactly where.

Farther north, the Lightning Creek Road outside of Clark Fork has washed out.

“The results are still coming in,” Lair said. “People are still getting out to survey what’s going on.”

He added that the Forest Service won’t know the full scope of the impacts until the water recedes.

Local trails are also closed due to severe flooding, the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes posted on Facebook Friday. It’s closed from Cataldo to Enaville, the post said, and water has completely covered the trail near the Latour Creek area. Latour Creek Road is currently shut down due to water on the roadway and people are told to stay away from the area, according to Kootenai County Emergency Management. 

Western Washington is facing historic flooding at the same time this week, with 100,000 people expected to be evacuated, and Skagit County facing more severe water levels on its 100-year floodplain. Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency and ordered the National Guard to assist.

S-R Reporter Michael Wright contributed to this report.