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Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi speaks at an event at the Utah State Hospital on July 22, 2025, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Machinery used to clean up the debris from the Buckley Draw is pictured Thursday, Oct. 16, 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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A rainstorm on the night of Aug. 27 hit the Buckley Draw burn scar and sent the charred soil sludging down the canyon.

A debris channel at the base of the canyon diverted the landslide away from private homes, but when the channel ended, debris went over a development and road and onto a Latter-day Saints chapel below.

Water flow events have also occurred since, and at least one temporarily closed Slate Canyon Road and Nevada Avenue.

Provo residents have questioned whether the city did enough to mitigate the mudslide and subsequent flooding. Many pointed to the excavated development, which was not protected by an extended debris channel, placing land beneath it in a vulnerable position. 

Mayor Michelle Kaufusi is seeking a third term in office and recently sat down for an interview with the Daily Herald, where she addressed issues facing the city.

This is the second story that recaps the interview, where Kaufusi addressed the Buckley Draw situation.

She said she understands residents’ fears but stood by how the city responded to the natural disaster and protected homes.

“I don’t blame them,” Kaufusi said. “It’s scary to think that their homes could just be plowed over. But that mudslide was so intense. It was a burn scar. It was black, it smelled like fire. It was nasty mud, but it was all coming down from the very top of that 400 acres and just washing down.

“We managed our roads, and we just did the best we could with the church component, but still really proud to say not a single family got evacuated.”

On the second day of the Buckley Fire, which started Aug. 17, Kaufusi said the city discussed what to do when it started to rain. Public works cleared the debris channel and ensured it was in good condition. Cement barriers were also put in front of the church.

The Provo City Council voted in April to approve a public infrastructure district for the development, allowing the city to levy additional taxes on the property — essentially having the developers pay for necessary infrastructure improvements.

The mayor said the developers were contractually obligated to extend the debris channel. In August, though, they were in early stages of the development and had not built it. 

“There’s not even a single footing put in yet,” she said.

Kaufusi described the rainstorm that occurred Aug. 27 as one that happens once every 10 years, pouring 0.8 inches of rain in a span of 25 minutes and sending the charred land down the mountain.

“Of course, it happens 10 days after our big fire,” Kaufusi said. “It brought down a lot.”

The mud piled up to four feet around the church building and some mud got inside, forcing the building’s closure for cleaning and renovations. The mayor, however, believes the city succeeded in its “number one goal,” which was to protect homes.

“We love the church. They’re great partners. They own half of the city. But again, my number one concern was my constituents that are taxpayers,” she said. “So I said, ‘I don’t know what we have to do, but if there’s something that’s coming down that mountain, it cannot hit the homes.’ I was so proud of my team.”

Kaufusi said the risk for avalanches and debris flow still exists because the Buckley Draw will remain barren for the next “three to five years,” and that the U.S. Forest Service will not reseed because it’s too steep and the land is too scoured.

However, she said the city is now “better prepared” because it got permission from the developers to dig on their land and has built four debris basins with pumps inserted into each of them.

“We’re really going to try and get through this winter without having some disaster,” she said.