LOGAN – Bevelyn Kozma lives in what used to be known as Riverside R.V. Park and Campground located at 447 West 1700 South in Logan. It was sold about a year ago and the new name is Creek Side RV Park.
Generally, the picturesque park has the Blacksmith Fork River running next to it and can be a desirable place to be. This year, though, things are different.
Kozma, her husband and seven children live in two camp trailers at the RV park. When the park started flooding when the river crested its banks, officials cut the power, capped the sewer and shut off the gas despite families still living there.
The Utah State University assistant professor of Military Science has lived there for three years and has never seen anything like this in the past.
The fields in proximity to the river look like ponds instead of fertile farmland they usually are this time of year.
Tuesday morning, Kozma pulled her red SUV onto dry ground, donned her rubber boots and piggybacked her children across the flooded ground to her running vehicle. Then she took them to school before heading to work at the university.
Kozma is not the only one without amenities, there are 15 or so RV’s still in place in the same situation, they have nowhere to go so they stay and the water continues to rise.
“I called Logan City and they can’t tell me when the utilities would be restored,” she said. “I’ve also called Logan’s Emergency Services and had no success.”
Despite having no utilities they stay. Kozma said they have nowhere else to go.
“I have couple of gallons of water in my trailer,” she said. “Two of the 17 trailers left last night. They didn’t have any way to pull their trailers, so we helped them relocate.”
The Blacksmith Fork River near Hyrum is expected to continue to rise. Monday night the water had backed off a little, but forecasters expected it to rise again in the morning and it did.
The National Weather Service predicted the river to rise each day before peaking around 7 feet on Tuesday morning.
“Flood stage for the waterway is 7.6 feet, at which homes in Blacksmith Fork Canyon will see flooding, as well as homes in the Country Manor subdivision,” the National Weather Service said.
Cache Valley Daily tried to contact Logan City and the emergency service department and as of yet had not heard anything.
Karin Kunz of Hyde Park was worried about the people living in the RV park.
“We really need to give these people our help,” she said. “For many of them there is no place to go. They don’t have a lot of options; that’s why they are living where they are.”