HIGHLAND, Utah — A pair of Highland homes experienced devastating floods due to a burst canal pipe Saturday, sending neighbors leaping into action to help clean up.
Ken Knapton lives across the street from the impacted homes and described the water as a geyser.
"You could see the water coming under the fence from the canal right behind the house," he recalled.
Before the water spread and caused even more damage, Knapton said he and other neighbors in the area jumped in to lend a helping hand.
"We got to work as quickly as we could," he explained. "We happened to have a pile of sand in our backyard and they had sandbags. So we started trying to fill the sandbags and do the best we could to redirect [the water.]"
The Highland neighborhood worked through the night Saturday and into Sunday, making sure damage was as minimal as possible.
"There was probably about 200 people that came out and helped and it was all throughout the night and all through this afternoon and just coming out and trying to save as much as they could in their basements," Knapton said.
What caused the influx of water? The General Manager of the Provo River Water User Association, Jeff Budge, said there was a door failure on an access vault, causing the door to open and water to flood through.
One of the homeowners wasn't in the area when the flooding started, but Kim Rodela of the Highland City Council said crews responded right away to get to work.
"This is a very tight-knit community and we did as much as we could," she explained. "A couple of phone calls and people show up… it’s a beautiful thing. Great people, great area."
