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Flood Concerns on the Rise as Rains Soak Region Minor ooding reported in and around Glacier Park on Monday
BY BEACON STAFF
Northwest Montana was bracing for a wet week after persistent rainfall caused minor ooding on May 23 and forced the closure of several area roads.
Roads in the Columbia Falls and West Glacier areas were closed after 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over 48 hours. The heavy rain prompted the National Weather Service to issue a ood advisory for much of the region. A ood warning was issued for West Glacier and the sur- rounding area in Glacier National Park through May 24, after the Beacon went to print.
Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the- Sun Road was closed two miles north of Apgar after ood waters washed away a culvert on the west side of the iconic highway.
Sections of the North Fork, Blanken- ship, Rabe and Half Moon roads near Columbia Falls were all closed Monday afternoon. The road on the west side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir was also closed due to localized ooding.
“We’re keeping an eye on the
Emily, who declined to give her last name, drives through ood waters spilling over Rabe Road north of Columbia Falls after picking up her two dogs from her house on May 23. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
at elevations above 6,300 feet in Glacier National Park on Monday.
O cials were primarily concerned about small streams and local drainages, where abundant rainfall could cause runo over the saturated ground. Main stem rivers were expected to increase in ow, but given that much of this moisture is going into snowpack above 6,000 feet, this is not forecast to cause major issues, according to the NWS.
The precipitation is helping aid a region stricken by drought conditions since a year ago. While cumulative precip- itation is near normal levels, the past year has been the warmest on record in Mon- tana, with temperatures about 4 degrees above normal, said Donald Britton, the meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service o ce in Great Falls.
Drought conditions have broad rami- cations on the risk of summer wild res, the health of prized shing streams and the state’s water supply. Summer drought
situation,” said Sheri Chuck Curry. already seen signi cant rainfall on Sun- conditions will depend on how much rain
“What happens next all depends on what the weather does.”
Many locations across the region had
day and Monday, with common amounts in the 3- to 6-inch range, according to the NWS. Nine inches of snow was reported
the region gets in May and June, usually two of the year’s wettest months.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
Daines Urges Government to Explore Weapons Innovation Marine Corps has already conducted market research with PROOF Research in Kalispell
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is hopeful that the Department of Defense will take advantage of the Treasure State’s burgeoning tech sector as it scouts out new locations for breakthrough weapons technology hubs.
In a recent letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash- ton Carter, Daines urged the department to consider more rural locations for its newly revamped Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), a Department of Defense pet project designed to seek out emerging defense technologies.
The current hub is located in Silicon Valley, Califor- nia, but with the announcement of another hub opening in Boston, and more to follow, Daines encouraged Carter to consider housing a hub in Montana.
In his letter, Daines argues that some of the most advanced technology available to the Defense Depart- ment is located in rural states like Montana, including in the Flathead Valley, and at a more cost-e ective price.
“Due to our booming technology hub and some of the most advanced equipment used by the Department being made right in my home state, we stand to o er a great ben- e t to enhancing the war ghters’ capabilities,” Daines
wrote in the letter. “For example, I was told by the Marine Corps last month that they could make their sniper ri e three pounds lighter, and just as accurate, with a ri e bar- rel made in Kalispell, Montana. A seemingly easy x that I’m told won’t be addressed for some time.”
The Republican senator’s o ce con rmed that Daines spoke with U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller during a Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing in March, where he learned that the Corps was conduct- ing market research at PROOF Research in Kalispell.
According to a transcript of the hearing, Neller, com- mandant of the Marine Corps, explained that the local company has designed a prototype barrel that could reduce the weight of the M40A6 sniper ri e by more than three pounds. Although the barrels are still in the testing phase, Daines encouraged the Defense Depart- ment to seriously consider adopting PROOF’s technol- ogy for its standard infantry, and to consider opening a DIUx tech hub in Montana.
“The DOD needs to expand to smaller, rural areas where some of the best technology has long been cheaper and easier to produce,” Daines said.
DIUx is a newly overhauled Pentagon innovation unit that Carter launched to combine the problem-solving
skills of the tech industry with the resources of the mil- itary. After rebooting its Silicon Valley program, the Defense Department announced plans to open addi- tional hubs, and Daines said Montana is a strong can- didate for one.
“I have been informed that the Department of Defense is looking to expand its Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and I strongly urge you to give all due consideration to Montana,” Daines wrote in his letter to Carter.
At PROOF Research, the company’s patented carbon ber barrels have been approved for use by the U.S. mili- tary, and are designed speci cally to lighten the loads of service members, according to Derek McDonald, chief marketing o cer at PROOF.
“The bene ts of our carbon ber technology allows war ghters to go further and longer while carrying more ammunition, additional batteries and other criti- cal equipment,” McDonald said. “If you are at an eleva- tion of 8,000 feet in the Hindu Kush chasing terrorists, every ounce counts, and our technology is designed spe- ci cally for lighten the war ghters’ load.”
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
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MAY 25, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM