Local and state officials are hosting a flood response open house Monday, April 20, in Libby.

The open house will run from noon and end at 7 p.m. in the Ponderosa Room at Libby City Hall, 952 E. Spruce St.

Hosting the event are the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program.

The event is meant to provide information about the Libby asbestos-related survey and cleanup work being conducted by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Lincoln County.

“Recovery in Lincoln County is a top priority for DEQ,” said DEQ Waste Management and Remediation Division Administrator Amy Steinmetz. “There is still much to be done, but we will continue working closely with our state and local partners to get this cleanup completed.”

Those attending are asked to bring their property specific questions and sign up to have the property evaluated for potential asbestos contamination following the massive flooding in December 2025 in south Lincoln County.

Interested residents unable to attend the open house can still reach out to DEQ via email to [email protected]. Complete recovery hinges on community cooperation, and DEQ encourages anyone who even suspects contamination was deposited or exposed on their property as a result of flooding to reach out to DEQ.

If there is visible contamination on a property, residents should not handle it themselves, and should instead call the Asbestos Resource Program at (406) 283-2442 as soon as possible.

Kraayeveld will also present the latest information to the Libby Asbestos Superfund Oversight Committee during their next regular meeting scheduled for April 23.

For more information, contact DEQ Environmental Project Officer Melody Kraayeveld at 406-594-4017 or at [email protected].

“I’ll be there to chat with people about their concerns and provide assistance,” DEQ Environmental Project Officer Melody Kraayeveld said. “We’ve set the open house up so that people can get the answers they need quickly and get back to their day.”

The county ARP, located at 418 Mineral Ave., Libby, can be reached at 406-283-2442 or at www.lcarp.org.

Flooding washed out several roads and bridges in the area as well as causing erosion that must be addressed during repair work.

Lincoln County received word recently that President Donald Trump signed the requests for Major Disaster Declaration status that will free up money to help with cleanup and repair work.

The declaration is critical for local communities because it frees up federal resources, including money to reimburse households, rebuild infrastructure and invest in preventive action in anticipation of future weather-related disasters.

South Lincoln County suffered from severe flooding during the end of the second week of the month and was followed by extreme wind the following week. In its wake were tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Several bridges and roads were damaged or destroyed. A small diversion dam on Flower Creek was also damaged that at the time threatened the city.

After local, state and federal officials worked to determine damage estimates that exceeded $10 million, Gov. Greg Gianforte submitted a request Jan. 10 to Trump to issue a presidential Major Disaster Declaration.