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Volunteers work to remove mud from a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Provo.

Courtesy Provo City

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Workers clean up a mudslide that impacted a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Workers clean up a mudslide that impacted a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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The Buckley Draw mudslide is pictured Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Over 200 people set aside their workday responsibilities and grabbed a shovel to aid cleanup efforts at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse on Slate Canyon Drive on Thursday after a mudslide spilled down the Buckley Draw and covered the property.

While some responded to the mudslide at 11 p.m., most people arrived Thursday morning and spent the day clearing several feet of mud away from the building.

“I’m just grateful for the volunteers,” Provo Utah 1st Stake (Tongan) president Francis Mateaki said. “We sent out the email last night asking for whoever’s available, and they showed up at 7 a.m.”

The mudslide was a result of a storm Wednesday night that poured about an inch of rain onto the burn scar from the Buckley Draw Fire and triggered a slide.

Much of the debris flow reached the meetinghouse, building up to 4 feet along the east side of the building and breaking through one door.

Mateaki said the main objective Thursday morning for the volunteers was to dig out the mud pressed against the meetinghouse to release the pressure.

“We were trying to remove the mud from the building to hopefully save the building,” he said.

Their efforts were successful, according to Provo Public Works Director Gordon Haight, who said they moved a large amount of material away from the building that could not be reached by heavy equipment.

“The volunteers have been fantastic,” Haight said. “There are two stakes that were called out to help us, and they did a great job.”

Among the helpers was Rob Stevens, a church member who said he was flexible with his work hours and arranged to be there.

Stevens said he spent his time shoveling mud into buckets and wheelbarrows but deferred the credit to others.

“I know there’s a lot of folks that were more involved than me,” he said. “The stake president (Bryan Hopkins) didn’t sleep last night; he was out here all night, and the mayor (Michelle Kaufusi) told me she was out here all night shoveling mud.”

Those who came out were treated with snacks and water provided by the city to fuel their efforts.

“We wanted to make sure everybody was hydrated and that blood sugars didn’t drop too much,” Haight said. “It was a great effort to see the residents out here and the city working together on this.”