At least a week before road reopens

BOISE -- The storms that ripped through southern Idaho Tuesday are long gone, but the aftermath is still being felt in the remote town of Yellow Pine.

At least a dozen mudslides have forced the closure of the main road between McCall and Yellow Pine, leaving only one way in and out for residents and visitors of the scenic town.

Officials with the Payette National Forest say Tuesday’s thunderstorms triggered a series of mudslides along East Fork Road. 

The mudslides are not threatening homes or people, but rather access to Yellow Pine and its annual Harmonica Festival.

Intense thunderstorms and charred vegetation left over from last summer's fire season are the two factors forest officials say are to blame for the mudslides.

Firefighters say little or no vegetation means there's nothing to hold the soil when the rains come.

Photos of the mudslide

"When you have that intensely hot fire burn through there it burned everything in its path, it effects the soil so much that sometimes even the soil itself will repel the water, and when you get moisture it essentially washes the water away,"  said BLM spokesperson Jessica Gardetto.

The damage is limited to bridges and roads, but forest officials say if more rain comes, more mudslides could follow.

In the meantime, Warm Lake, Johnson Creek and Yellow Pine residents are still without power from Tuesday's storms.

But most residents are more annoyed and less worried about the mudslides and putting up with the effects of fire season.

"We're wondering what gods we've angered.  We really do. And I don't think we're bad people up here.  It's just the way Mother Nature is right now.  We're not in panic mode," said Vicki Martineau, Yellow Pine resident.

Harmonica Festival organizers are hoping for the best.

Everything looks good. Everything's going to be just fine.  The weather is holding out just great.  There's going to be a lot of camping and a lot of good times up there," said Harmonica Festival organizer Steve Holloway.

The Valley County road department estimates opening East Fork Road within the next 7 to 10 days.

In the meantime, there is only way in and out of Yellow Pine.  To get there go through Cascade and head east on Warm Lake Road, then turn north on Johnson Creek Road.

Power should also be restored by either Thursday night or Friday morning.

Harmonica Festival organizers say the annual event is still scheduled to run the weekend of Aug. 1-3.

They say over 3,000 campers and visitors come to the event every year.

> View Larger Map