By McKenzie Romero | Editor
After wildfires scorch hillsides and forests, rains falling on the burn scar risk sending debris-packed flooding flowing down on whatever’s below for months and years to come.
The combination of fires and flooding has prompted Gov. Spencer Cox to declare an emergency in three Utah counties, the first step in potentially pursing federal disaster relief.
In today’s Dispatch we update you on the emergency declaration, a new commissioner for the Great Salt Lake, and a plea from mayors to put off cuts to the nation’s biggest food assistance program.
“Utahns have endured an incredibly difficult wildfire season, and now many of these same communities are facing life-threatening flooding caused by those fires.” — Gov. Spencer Cox announcing an emergency declaration in three counties.
A section of highway 137 near Beaver, Utah, after being damaged by fire and flooding in a photo shared on July 15, 2026. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)
By Annie Knox
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s office said this wildfire season is one of the state’s most destructive in recent memory, torching 380,000 acres statewide. The emergency declaration covers Beaver, Piute and Sevier counties after monsoon rains over the Cottonwood Fire burn scar caused flash flooding and debris flows that damaged homes, roads, and drinking water systems.
The governor noted his order would help provide “every available resource” to help local communities respond and prepare for flood risks throughout the summer. The move activates an emergency operations plan, allowing the state to pursue hazard mitigation funding and request help from other states and the federal government if needed.
Hannah Freeze (photo courtesy of the Utah governor’s office)
By Katie McKellar
Hannah Freeze, who most recently served as deputy of the state’s Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner, has been chosen by Gov. Spencer Cox to lead the office tasked with helping save the shrinking Great Salt Lake.
Freeze’s appointment comes during another tough year for the Great Salt Lake, which started at low spring levels after a dry winter left virtually no snowpack. This year’s summer has also continued to be historically hot and dry, continuing a yearslong drought that has threatened the ecological future of the lake.
More than 4 million Americans have lost SNAP benefits, putting more pressure on food banks and food pantries across the country. (Steph Quinn/Missouri Independent)
DC BUREAU
By Kevin Hardy
More than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
In addition to imposing new eligibility and work requirements for recipients, the law will require states for the first time to fund some SNAP benefits themselves beginning in fall 2027. Two Democratic mayors from Utah — Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City and Gay Lynn Bennion of Cottonwood Heights — signed the letter.
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