GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — Panguitch is a small town with a lot of heart.
Residents there like the Cooper family and others usually think about perfecting smoked ribs or finding the best fishing spot.
"I love ice hut fishing, because the fish really get vigorous and fun," said James Cooper.
But now, cracking in the Panguitch Lake Dam is on their mind, and residents we talked with on Wednesday are paying close attention.
"We can’t be closed-minded and say, 'Oh, because things like this happen, there’s disasters all over the world,'" said Kathleen Cooper. "I learned I'm not really well prepared, so that’s one thing I’m going to learn from this.”
It's been a busy 48 hours for the residents of the town, which is located near Bryce Canyon National Park.
"I'm a little concerned, maybe, depending on how fast the overflow goes from runoff from snow melting," said Jane Excell. "But I think otherwise, it will probably be okay. We had a lot of flooding last year from the overflow; hopefully this won't be any worse."
Officials from across the city, state and county hosted a town hall forum Wednesday evening. Residents filled the bleachers at the high school gym to hear about what repairs look like now. They also learned about evacuation plans for kids in school and families at home if it becomes necessary, and they had the chance to ask questions.
"We do not take it lightly putting you under this stress," Sheriff Eric Houston said. "After the work at the dam today, I feel a lot better about the situation we're in.. It looks a lot better than it did yesterday."
"I feel like they jumped on it quickly and they are on top of things, doing whatever needs to be done to take care of the situation," added Jeannie Henrie. "I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did when I came in."
If there is an evacuation, the west part of town will be moved first. There will be sirens, alerts sent out, and personnel going door to door to help get people to safety.
The mayor of Panguitch was emotional about all the help so far.
"Just the thought, I've got so many calls of people wanting to help," said Mayor Kim Soper. "From local towns around us, from people here, all kinds of things."
While officials have urged residents to be prepared for a possible evacuation, they announced Wednesday that the cracks are only in the top 2-5 feet of the dam — an expansion to the original structure — and a "complete failure" is not likely.
Click here for the latest details from officials.
Video below: American Red Cross prepares to help Panguitch if needed
