Volunteers and National Guard members have filled and placed 55,500 sandbags along the North Platte River in Saratoga to corral the rising water and keep it in the river banks,

More than 200 volunteers and Wyoming National Guard members have been working long hours filling and placing sandbags to protect the town of Saratoga since Sunday. They have filled enough sandbags to cover 21 miles if the bags were placed end to end,

Wyoming Office of Homeland Security Director Guy Cameron said “the community and volunteer response to the potential flooding is a true reflection of the spirit of Wyoming.”

Cameron said the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and the Wyoming National Guard have identified four areas of concern for the state response. Teams have been deployed to Carbon, Albany, Big Horn and Washakie Counties. These teams are designed to be flexible and mobile to assist communities that may need flood fighting resources. These Initial Assessment Teams consist of Homeland Security assigned personnel and Wyoming National Guard members.

These efforts are in anticipation of the North Platte reaching a record level on Saturday, May 31, 2014. The National Weather Service forecasts the river will peak at 10.5 feet, which is slightly higher than the 10.49 level in 2011. To mitigate flood damage, Carbon County has 200,000 sandbags available for emergency protective measures.

Volunteers from the Latter-Day Saints, Team Rubicon, and residents of Carbon County communities arrived to assist the community in its flood fighting efforts. Approximately 70 volunteers including faculty, students and athletes from the University of Wyoming will join the efforts tomorrow, May 30.

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