The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, in conjunction with the City of Libby, voted to declare a county-wide state of emergency due to flooding at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The declaration doesn't signify any increased risk, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency deputy Lisa Oedewaldt said, it just opens the door for funding support from the state.

"Declaring emergency doesn't mean we're at a higher risk of danger," she said. "It's just a mechanism for the county to request funding from the state if we exceed our 2 mills."

Oedewaldt said the exact amount of money spent responding to the current flooding was not yet available.

Emergency Management Agency director Kirk Kraft said the county has made sand and sand-bags available for the public at Pioneer Park, the County Road Shop in Troy and at the Libby City Shop.

Residents unable to pick up sand-bags from those locations can call Lincoln County Emergency Management for assistance. Kraft can be reached at 293-1129. Oedewaldt can be reached at 334-0050.

Updated 4:41 p.m.: The City of Libby has also issued a precautionary health advisory warning residents of the possibility of contaminated drinking water due to high turbidity.

According to the announcement: "This health advisory is precautionary. The City of Libby water treatment plant is experiencing higher than normal turbidities. Water system personnel are working diligently to get the water treatment plant back into compliance."

The advisory cautions residents with specific health concerns or with severely compromised immune systems to consult their health care provider, but states boiling water and other corrective measures are not required at this point.