Two Pocatello schools close due to two separate water line breaks
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POCATELLO — The city of Pocatello has experienced two water line breakages in the same day, causing two schools to close.
The first water line breakage occurred at the intersection of Pole Line Road and West Eldredge Road, and the second near Bannock Highway and Cheyenne Avenue. It’s not yet clear what caused either of the breakages.
The Pole Line breakage occurred around 4:45 a.m. According to the city’s news release, water entered “a power grid area.”
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“Residents in the area must remain inside their homes as a safety precaution. Avoid the area until further notice,” according to a text notification from Bannock County.
At 6:32 a.m., the county sent out another notification, saying that the water had been turned off, and warned residents to “use caution when exiting home. Watch for utility crews throughout the day.”
Hawthorne Middle School
A release from Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25, sent out at 6:46 a.m., said that “out of an abundance of caution, Hawthorne Middle School will be closed today due to a water main line break in the area.”
The city put out an update at 9:30 a.m., saying that the breakage was a 12-inch water main, and to avoid the area if possible.
“Traffic control is in place, and the area is restricted to one-lane traffic in each direction. Crews are on site working to clean up and make repairs,” the update read.
Indian Hills Elementary School
Courtney Fisher, spokesperson for PCSD 25, told EastIdahoNews.com the district received a notification about a water line breakage near Indian Hills Elementary School around 8:30 a.m. An update to the city’s news release around 10 a.m. identified the water line that broke as a “small service line.”
As one of the district’s early-start schools, the day had already started.
“We were trying to inquire whether we could continue throughout the day before they shut the water off, if that was a possibility, and we learned that no, that needed to be shut off immediately, and so we just put our plans in motion,” Fisher said.
School faculty conducted an evacuation of all students from the school to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building across the street and began the process of reunifying them with their parents and guardians.
“Our first priority in these situations is first and foremost to make sure that we have all staff and learners accounted for, make sure that they get over to the reunification site just as expediently as possible and as safely as possible, and then our priority is to get them reconnected to their parents,” Fisher explained.
Parents and guardians who picked up their students had to go through safety protocols, including filling out paperwork and showing personal ID cards to verify identity.
“We just appreciate our parents’ response (and) their patience,” Fisher said.
Nearly all of the students had been picked up from the reunification site by 11 a.m. that day, and Fisher said the process went “smoothly.”
“Sometimes these things aren’t necessarily a scary event. It’s still a critical event. We’re still putting our safety protocols in urgent practice and trying to move through that process as quickly as possible,” Fisher said.
Fisher also thanked the city of Pocatello for its communication throughout the process.
“It really takes the whole team to come up with a plan so that that (it) flows really smoothly,” Fisher said.
EastIdahoNews.com will update this story if any new developments emerge.