Flash flooding in Wetmore caught on camera, overtakes bridge near homes

A loud roar woke Ed Brodrick out of bed Sunday evening, but it was a sound he recognized.

He got up and walked outside his house in Wetmore to find a flash flood had overtaken the bridge on Custer County Road 395.

He said, “logs were coming across and it was just a flood that… we had the same as last year but this one went down in 30-40 minutes.”

The flash floods closed several roads in the area Sunday night, but Brodrick says this community is used to seeing them.

Signs coming into the town of Wetmore warn drivers of flash flooding, and a muddy bridge filled with tree branches shows the damage left behind.

Brodrick said the flooding has gotten worse since wildfires burned down trees in the mountain surrounding the town.

“The big trees and stuff haven’t come back yet and it really is a dangerous area during flood season,” he said.

It hasn’t stopped him and dozens of others from staying in the area.