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"100-year flood" hits Colorado

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Author Topic: "100-year flood" hits Colorado  (Read 1560 times)
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« on: September 12, 2013, 05:58:09 pm »

USGS in Denver: Creek flow readings indicate it's official; this is now what the experts term a 100-year flood - @dailycamera

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« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2013, 06:10:35 pm »

USGS in Denver: Creek flow readings indicate it's official; this is now what the experts term a 100-year flood - @dailycamera



There seems to be lots of flooding all over the world recently. I know it's not uncommon, but nonetheless I don't recall seeing so many recently!
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« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2013, 12:43:08 pm »

‘Largest storm that I can imagine’ wears on in Colo.; National Guard to rescue
9/13/13
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/13/20469449-largest-storm-that-i-can-imagine-wears-on-in-colo-national-guard-to-rescue?lite

The governor of Colorado on Friday ordered the National Guard into a town outside Boulder in hopes of evacuating hundreds of people feared stranded by record floods that were ravaging the state for a third day.

Gov. John Hickenlooper said it had to be “the largest storm that I can imagine in the state’s history.”

The evacuation, for the town of Lyons, outside Boulder, will require about 100 soldiers from the Colorado National Guard and more than 20 trucks, a U.S. military official told NBC News.

Unusual late-summer downpours raked the state again, shattering a 73-year record for September rain in Boulder. About 4,000 people were ordered evacuated there Thursday as water surged out of a nearby canyon.

“There’s so much water coming out of the canyon, it has to go somewhere, and unfortunately it’s coming into the city,” Ashlee Herring, a spokeswoman for the Boulder emergency management office, told Reuters.
 
The nearby city of Longmont was inundated after a river jumped its banks. About 7,000 homes there were under orders to evacuate.

Hickenlooper said that the state Department of Transportation had ordered traffic restricted to essential only for four counties to the north and west of Denver. Emergency vehicles were having a tough time getting around, he said.

At least three people have died in flash floods in the area, and at least 17 were missing Friday.

Holly Stetson was waiting for word on her father, an 81-year-old retired elementary school teacher who Stetson said was probably trapped in his house in Lyons.

Stetson told KUSA, the NBC affiliate in Denver, that her mother evacuated early Thursday morning, but said the father probably stayed behind. Stetson said she “had a visual” of the house that showed 2 feet of water on the outside.

“Just hoping for a great outcome,” she said. “I feel like he’s got lots of common sense. He was a Boy Scout scout leader for many, many years. He knows what to do if we got stuck in the house. We’re just putting our faith in that.”

There was some good news: What authorities described as a 30-foot surge of water, mud, rocks and debris dissipated before reaching the outskirts of Boulder.

The surge flattened out as the canyon became less steep toward the city and by the time it arrived at Boulder Creek it was not nearly as severe as initially feared, officials said.

Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, said it would close for the day, not because of flooding on campus but because the surrounding roads were difficult if not impossible to navigate.

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« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2013, 04:35:03 pm »

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/14/20493922-we-were-lucky-to-get-out-scores-of-people-unaccounted-for-in-colorado-flooding?lite
9/14/13
'We were lucky to get out': Scores of people unaccounted for in Colorado flooding

Authorities worked to track down residents in saturated Colorado mountain towns on Saturday, where authorities confirmed the death toll at four and feared that more may be stuck without food, water or power.

Officials said that more than 200 people were unaccounted for on Saturday, but stressed that those numbers could rise or fall since communications were so poor in the area. Those people are not necessarily considered missing, officials said.

"We are assuming there may be further loss of life and injuries," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said on Saturday. "Given the devastation on some of those canyons, it's definitely a high probability."

The flooding had spread over a 4,500-square-mile area, according to Weather.com, almost as large as the state of Connecticut.

"The problem now is relatively little additional rainfall may trigger additional flash flooding," Weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said. "With more areas of rain and scattered thunderstorms expected this weekend, a quick inch or so of rain in less than one hour may cause additional rises on already swollen creeks and rivers."

As crews worked around the clock to rescue the stranded – including 85 fifth-graders who were on a school trip – amazing stories of survival and escape emerged.

"We rescued a young couple yesterday from Lyons," said Boulder County Sherriff Joe Pelle on Saturday. "The young lady is pregnant and her due date is tomorrow."

"There are some personal stories coming out of this that makes all of this very rewarding," he added.

"I had three boat rides, one surfboard, a motorboat and a canoe," Nancy Coleman said of her flight from water-logged Longmont.

A visually impaired man walking in Denver with his service dog was swept into a drainage ditch and pulled out four blocks later by a police officer and paramedic. Emergency workers used a zipline to bring a woman to safety at Big Thompson Canyon.

A father of four who spent two hours in a submerged car held a press conference to thank his saviors.

"Two hours was an eternity," said Roy Ortiz, who got trapped when a bridge collapsed early Thursday, sending his car into Rock Creek, flipped on its roof.

He said while he waited for help, with his head position in a small air pocket, he prayed and thought about his family.

"Everywhere I moved, there was the water," Ortiz said, according to the Broomfield Enterprise.

Ortiz was one of the lucky ones.

A young woman whose car got stuck in floodwaters was found dead Friday morning in Boulder. A man who was with her and got out of the car to help was also killed.

A man was found in a creek in Colorado Springs and a fourth person was killed in a building collapse in Jamestown.

Because the waters obliterated many roads, authorities still don't have a handle on how many people might be stranded or missing.

"The thing that worries us the most are the things that we don't know right now," Pelle said in an afternoon briefing. "We don't know about lives lost, homes lost, people stranded in many, many of the canyon areas in our upper communities."

As a result, he said, small towns in the western mountains are "completely isolated" with "no road access, no telephone information, no power, no water, no sewer."

"We have our hands full simply trying to assess what we have on our hands," he said.

Twelve military aircrafts were being used Saturday "to pull off some of the evacuations and support some of the isolated communities with basic necessities, food water," said Dan Dallas, Incident Commander Rocky Mountain Type 2 Incident Management Team B.

In addition to rescue efforts, Dallas added that the aircrafts would be used for reconnaissance to assess damaged areas.

"We recognize the need that the county has to really understand the full scope of what's been impacted," Dallas said.

Late Friday night, the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management reported a breach about 300 feet long in the pipeline that carries about 90 percent of Boulder's untreated wastewater to a treatment plant, with the wastewater discharged directly into Boulder Creek.

There was no risk to drinking water supplies since all drinking water from the creek is drawn upstream from the breach, the agency said. The city was working on a temporary bypass around the breach.

Four National Guard helicopters were enlisted to drop supplies and begin taking people out of two towns surrounded by raging rapids: Lyons, with more than 2,000 residents, and Jamestown, with about 300 people. Late Friday, an OEM spokeswoman said the Guard had evacuated about 190 people from Lyons and about 130 from Jamestown.

Pelle said as of late Friday there were approximately 50 people who wanted to stay in Jamestown.

He said they would be sending a deputy sheriff to "gather them together and talk to them and explain we may not be able to come back for several days or be able to get a road to them for a while."

Aerials from NBC affiliate KUSA show the aftermath of devastating flooding that killed at least three people in Colorado.

Above Jamestown, 85 schoolchildren and their 14 chaperones were waiting for a ride out. "The children are safe and sound. They're in a good, dry situation. They're well-fed," Pelle said.

Waters were receding, but there was still rain in the forecast and the threat of more flash floods. Authorities worried that stir-crazy residents might venture out into dry areas and get trapped by a surprise storm.

"We were lucky to get out," Steve Flowers said after evacuating to Boulder. "My neighbor two doors down is still missing."

Pelle could not predict how long it would take to reach everyone who could not get out.

"There's really no choice but to hunker down and be patient," he said. "This is an unprecedented event for any of us.'
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« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2013, 04:38:12 pm »

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/boulder-colorado-flooding/17681150
PHOTOS: Obama Declares Disaster in Boulder as Flooding Continues
9/13/13

More than 8 inches of rain fell across some parts of Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, causing massive flooding within the city and taking three lives.

Jane Brautigam, the city's manager has signed and issued a local disaster and emergency declaration for the city of Boulder on Thursday afternoon, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.

Flood sirens continue to sound in the city as of 1 p.m., local time to alert residents of the ongoing danger.

Rain began early in the morning and continued throughout the day, becoming heavy in the evening. As much as 1 inch of rain per hour fell in the area.

Rushing flood waters made roads dangerous and impassible, trapping cars and limiting travel. At least one house collapsed.

Colorado University's Boulder Campus closed for Thursday, Sept. 12 and Friday, Sept. 13, "due to effects of severe flooding and the ongoing weather emergency," according to the school's website.

All Boulder County parks, trails and open spaces have been closed until further notice.

Search and rescue helicopters are on site, aiding in search and rescue missions, medical evacuations and supplying aid.

All residents have been urged to stay away from water, as all water is suspected to contain sewage and other contaminants, according to the area's emergency management office.

Rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms will persist around Boulder and along the I-25 corridor into Friday morning. Over 9 inches of rain has been recorded by the NWS as ofFriday morning in Colorado Springs. Additional rainfall can add to the flooding problems.

According to the Larimer Sheriff's Twitter account, the Meadow Dam has broken and Highway 34 is impassable and closed until further notice.

All of the cities facilities will remain closed throughout the day on Friday, Sept. 13, including libraries and recreation centers, according to the city's emergency management.

On Friday, residents living in the mountainous parts of the city continued to remain isolated without water, septic or sewer, according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.

As of Friday evening, the number of unaccounted persons rose to 80.

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« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2013, 05:19:07 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/rescues-accelerate-floodwaters-inundate-plains-155941532.html
Rescues accelerate as floodwaters inundate plains
9/14/13

LYONS, Colo. (AP) — The rescue of Coloradoans stranded by epic mountain flooding accelerated Saturday as debris-filled rivers became muddy seas that extended into towns and farms miles from the Rockies. Authorities expected to find more fatalities when full scope of destruction emerged.

Helicopters and hundreds of National Guard troops searched the mountainous terrain for people as food and water supplies ran low in remote communities cut off since Thursday. Thousands were being driven to safety in convoys.

A woman was missing and presumed dead after witnesses saw floodwaters from the Big Thompson River destroy her home in the Cedar Cove area, Larimer County sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said.

"We're sure there are going to be additional homes that have been destroyed, but we won't know that for a while," Schulz said. I expect that we're going to continue to receive reports of confirmed missing and confirmed fatalities throughout the next several days."

Four people have been confirmed dead since the harrowing floods began Wednesday. The high water has affected an area nearly the size of Connecticut.

National Guard helicopters flew in and out of the mountain hamlet of Jamestown late into Friday night after it became isolated by rushing water that scoured the canyon the village sits in. Rescuers on the ground focused on the town of Lyons.

By Saturday morning, the Guard had evacuated nearly 800 people by air and ground.

More than a dozen helicopters were available to aid with rescue efforts.

"We have the ability to go whenever, wherever," Master Sgt. Cheresa Theiral said.

Still more rain was expected Saturday. And the outlook for anyone who preferred to stay behind was bleak: weeks without power, cellphone service or running water.

"Essentially, what they were threatening us with is, 'If you stay here, you may be here for a month,'" said 79-year-old Dean Hollenbaugh, who was evacuated by helicopter from Jamestown, northwest of Boulder.

For those awaiting an airlift, Guardsmen dropped food, water and other supplies to residents of the winding, narrow canyons that cut through the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Although the number of confirmed deaths stood at four, authorities feared more bodies could turn up in areas that remain inaccessible.

"The thing with this event is, we don't know what we don't know," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.

More than 170 people remained unaccounted for in Boulder County, but that number could include people who are still stranded or who escaped but have not made contact yet, the sheriff said.

As the waters rose, thousands of people fled mountain and downriver towns, where rivers were still swelling and spilling over their banks Saturday.

One was Mary Hemme, 62, who displayed a pair of purple socks as she sat outside the Lifebridge Christian Church in Longmont. The socks were a memento of the more than 30 hours she spent in an elementary school in Lyons. Many evacuees were given dry socks because most had wet feet, Hemme said.

She recalled the sirens blared at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"Mary, we have to go. This place is flooding," she recalled friend Kristen Vincent saying as they clambered out of a trailer into water that was nearly knee-deep.

"It wasn't just sitting there," she said. "It was rushing at us."

Soon the trailer, like others in the park where she was staying, was submerged.

Hemme said she walked up at hill a daybreak and surveyed the trailer park.

"The most terrifying thing was when I climbed up on that cliff and looked down," she said. The water had carried cars as if they were toys.

"I was so afraid that I was going to die, that water came so fast."

The dayslong rush of water from higher ground turned towns on Colorado's expansive eastern plains into muddy swamps. Crews used inflatable boats to rescue families and pets from stranded farmhouses. Some evacuees on horseback had to be escorted to safe ground.

The city of Boulder reported late Friday that the rushing waters had caused "a significant breach in its main wastewater pipeline" to the treatment plant, but officials said it would not affect drinking water.

Near Greeley, some 35 miles east of the foothills, broad swaths of farmland had become lakes, and the raging South Platte and Poudre rivers led to rescues of stranded residents late into the night, the Greeley Tribune reported.

Hundreds of roads were closed or damaged by floodwaters, and a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 25 was closed from Denver to the Wyoming line.

Rocky Mountain National Park closed Friday, its visitors forced to leave via the 60-mile Trail Ridge Road to the west side of the Rockies.

It will be weeks, if not months, before a semblance of normalcy returns to Lyons, a gateway community to the park. The town, surrounded by sandstone cliffs whose color was reflected in the raging St. Vrain River, consisted of six islands Friday as residents barbecued their food before it spoiled. Several people set up a tent camp on a hill.

Some 2,500 residents were being evacuated from Lyons, but Hilary Clark was left walking around her neighborhood Friday.

Two bridges that led into the area were washed away. Unlike other parts of Lyons that had been reached by the National Guard in high clearance trucks, no such help had arrived for Clark.

"We're surviving on what we got," she said. "Some of us have ponds in our backyard, and we're using that water and boiling it."

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said recovery would be long and expensive — similar to wildfires the state is more familiar with.

"Please be patient," he said. "This is an unprecedented event."

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« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2013, 10:00:39 pm »

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/14/us/flooding-colorado/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
9/14/13
Colorado floods: Dramatic rescues as more rain arrives

Boulder, Colorado (CNN) -- Heavy storms returned to northeastern Colorado on Saturday as rescuers scrambled to take advantage of breaks in the weather to continue reaching stranded residents.

The rain Saturday extended eastward from southeast Denver, where the National Weather Service said 1.73 inches of rain fell in less than 30 minutes.

The agency warned that El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, could endure more flooding because of heavy rain Saturday evening along a "burn scar" created by an earlier fire in Waldo Canyon.

The rain Saturday evening spared Boulder County, scene of the most damage discovered so far. But officials said they received a forecast of up to 4 inches of rain for Sunday afternoon.

Sheriff Joe Pelle said rain that heavy "could be devastating."

Authorities are worried that any additional water on ground already soaked by up to 15 inches of rain will cause more flooding and dislodge mud and debris.

At least four deaths have been blamed on the flooding.

In addition, a 60-year-old woman was presumed dead after witnesses saw her being swept away by waters that demolished her home, said Nick Christensen, executive officer of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors tried unsuccessfully to rescue the woman, Christensen said. Her body had not been recovered.

The sheriff's office said that about 350 people were unaccounted for in Larimer County. That number jumped sharply Saturday afternoon as rescuers reached more empty homes. The sheriff's office lists such residents as unaccounted for until they are located elsewhere.

In neighboring Boulder County, 231 people were on the "unaccounted for" list as of 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET), said Gabrielle Boerkircher, spokesperson for the county office of emergency management. She said that number was fluctuating as some people were found safe even as the county received new requests to locate people.

A surveillance mission carrying Gov. John Hickenlooper and members of Colorado's congressional delegation was diverted twice to pick up people waving to be rescued.

After the officials' delayed arrival at a Boulder airport, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall said, "That dog and the cat and those seven people on those two helicopters didn't ask us whether we were Democrats or Republicans." And he promised a bipartisan push in Congress for federal aid for flood recovery.

Hickenlooper said he spoke by phone with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who "was adamant that the $5 million that was released yesterday was just the beginning" of federal assistance.

Experts from Vermont will arrive next week to share lessons learned about improved road-building in the wake of Hurricane Irene, the governor said.

Hickenlooper said he saw many damaged roads with "not just the asphalt taken away, but the entire roadbed, and bridge after bridge missing."

But he promised, "We're going to come back and rebuild better than it was before."

Boulder County alone will need an estimated $150 million to repair 100 to 150 miles of roadway and 20 to 30 bridges, county transportation director George Gerstle said. The repair bill will be "10 to 15 times our annual budget," he said.

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« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2013, 06:56:56 pm »

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/15/20503891-heavy-rains-hamper-attempts-to-rescue-at-least-1000-stranded-coloradans?lite
9/15/13
Heavy rains hamper attempts to rescue at least 1000 stranded Coloradans

The death toll continued to rise Sunday in flood-ravaged Colorado — as even more heavy rains hindered efforts to rescue at least 1000 stranded residents, officials said.

“Mother Nature’s not cooperating with us today and currently we are not flying,” said Shane DelGrosso, incident commander of rocky mountain incident management team at an afternoon press conference.

He said that about 500 people were rescued on Saturday, but at least 1000 people remained trapped with no way to get out on Sunday.

Sixteen helicopters were prepared to deploy in Larimer County but would not take flight until “weather allows them to do so,” said Nick Christensen, executive officer at the Larimer Country Sheriff’s Department.

“Tomorrow (Monday) if we get that opportunity … we have the horsepower to hit it hard,” DelGrosso said. “We need a change in the weather pattern to get a break.”

The delay in rescue operations came after officials had warned that residents who insist on staying in their homes might not get another chance to leave for some time because rescue teams might not have the ability to return for those who change their minds.

"We're not trying to force anyone from their home. We're not trying to be forceful, but we're trying to be very factual and definitive about the consequences of their decision, and we hope that they will come down," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said on Saturday.

The grim toll rose to five people confirmed dead in the flooding, on Sunday , with more than 1,250 people unaccounted for statewide, according to Micki Trost, spokeswoman at the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Bu that number is likely to fluctuate, said Trost. Officials are unsure which of those who are unaccounted for are stranded, injured or just have not had the chance to reach out to family and friends because of poor communications in the area.

 “We do anticipate that there will be additional fatalities,” said Christensen. “Hopefully it’s not an overwhelming number.”

Two of the five people confirmed dead were identified Sunday as 19-year-olds, Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, according to NBC affiliate, KUSA. The teens were in a car with two other friends but left the vehicle after it plunged into floodwaters, officials said. Their bodies were discovered on a road in Boulder.

An 80-year-old woman and a 60-year-old woman in Larimer County are missing and presumed dead after floodwaters from the Big Thomson River rushed through their houses, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in the flood-ridden state, the White House announced on Sunday. The declaration allows Boulder County home owners and business owners who are suffering from flood devastation to receive federal funds, including low cost loans and grants for temporary housing.

President Obama also called Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to offer condolences, praise first responders and personally promise federal support.

The total area affected is bounded in the north by Fort Collins, the south by Colorado Springs, the west by the foothills of The Rockies, and the east by the Denver suburbs, officials said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in Boulder continued on Sunday prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning through late afternoon.

A small amount of rainfall could cause flash flooding and mudslides because the ground has been saturated since Wednesday, according to weather.com. "The problem now is relatively little additional rainfall may trigger additional flash flooding," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.

In Larimer alone, 482 people are unaccounted for, Christensen said. Some of the presumed missing people might be a result of cross referencing issues among several lists, he said.

“We’ll work hard to whittle down that 482,” said Christensen.

He did concede, “We do anticipate that there will be additional fatalities,” adding, “Hopefully it’s not an overwhelming number.”

Two 80-person search and rescue FEMA crews will disperse on Monday in Larimer to thoroughly search structures individually, DelGrosso said.

“What’s hard to describe until you’ve been there … and you smell it and you feel it … river developed out of nowhere,” Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said. “There’s the potential that people got caught up where it felt safe,” he added.

National Guardsmen in helicopters and truck convoys also warned residents in paralyzed communities that their refusal to leave could be perilous.

Nevertheless, dozens in hard hit Jamestown wanted to stay to watch over their homes.

"I was thinking about staying," special education teacher Brian Shultz, 38, told the AP.  "I have a lot of training in wilderness survival."

He probably had enough beer to last the whole time, he added.

"The people right by the river, their houses were washed away," said Shultz . "Other people thought their houses were going to be OK, and then they started to go. It's just really devastating."

In areas experiencing a reprieve from the flooding, residents got a chance to evaluate their very wet homes.

The Poudre River in Laporte swept through Wendy Clark’s home but has since receded.

"This mud smells disgusting," said Clark. "I don't know how long that's going to be around."

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« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2013, 09:58:22 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-flood-aerial-rescue-hurricane-katrina-160334723.html
Colorado floods: More than 700 evacuated in largest aerial rescue operation since Hurricane Katrina, officials say
9/15/13

More than 1,200 people have been rescued in the wake of the flood that's left at least six people dead and hundreds unaccounted for in Colorado, officials there say.

The rescues are part of what National Guard Lt. Col. Mitch Utterback says is the largest aerial rescue operation since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, about 700 people were evacuated via air.

"It's been an amazing day," Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a news conference late Saturday. "An amazing 24 hours of saving lives."

About 200 people were airlifted from Jamestown, Colo., to Boulder Municipal Airport, Pelle said.

Other rescues were conducted by land. Roughly 500 people were driven out of Lyons, Colo., but impassable roads in other parts of the state forced rescue officials to dispatch helicopters. The Wyoming National Guard sent five Black Hawk helicopters and 20 crew members to Colorado to assist in the evacuations.

Still, news of the successful rescue effort was tempered by uncertainty.

More than 230 people remained unaccounted for in Boulder County and another 482 in Larimer County, officials said Sunday, cautioning that the death toll could rise as the floodwaters recede.

"There might be further loss of life," Pelle said. "It's certainly a high probability."

But officials were also optimistic that some of those unaccounted were counted twice, or were safe but unable to communicate with family members.

The Denver Post reported Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, a 19-year-old couple, were driving west of Boulder when their car became stuck in the raging floodwaters.

Two additional victims whose homes were swept away were also feared dead, sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said Sunday, bringing the death toll to six.

An 80-year-old woman "was injured and couldn't get out of her house, and when neighbors went back to help her, the house was gone," Schulz said. A 60-year-old woman who lived in the same area likely died in the flood, too.

More than 4,000 residents along Boulder Creek were ordered evacuated as Boulder remains under a flash flood watch through Sunday afternoon. Heavy rains are forecast through at least midday, hampering the air rescue effort.

"Ground rescues will continue today even if the helicopters can't fly," Boulder Police public information officer Kim Kobel tweeted.

Meanwhile, officials warn that while the weather conditions may improve later Sunday, the situation remains dangerous.

According to University of Colorado police spokesman Ryan Huff, one student was stopped from tubing on Boulder Creek.

"This is not the time to be playing around," Huff told the Daily Camera. "This continues to be a dangerous situation."
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« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2013, 11:13:54 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/floods-transform-colorados-gore-tex-vortex-191809758.html
Floods transform Colorado's 'Gore-Tex Vortex'
9/15/13

LYONS, Colo. (AP) — The cars that normally clog Main Street in Lyons on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park have been replaced by military supply trucks. Shop owners in Estes Park hurriedly cleared their wares in fear that the Big Thompson River will rise again. A plywood sign encouraged residents mucking out their homes to "Hang in there."

Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado's Rocky Mountain foothills affectionately known as the "Gore-Tex Vortex" from a paradise into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services — and more rain falling Sunday.

The string of communities from Boulder to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, is a base for backpackers and nature lovers where blue-collar and yuppie sensibilities exist side by side. Now, roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, the site of the bluegrass festival is washed out and most shops are closed.

Chris Rodes, one of Lyons' newest residents, said the change is so drastic that he is considering moving away just two weeks after settling there.

"It's not the same," Rodes said. "All these beautiful places, it's just brown mud."

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« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2013, 08:45:55 pm »

http://money.msn.com/now/post--colorado-flood-damage-could-exceed-dollar1-billion
Colorado flood damage could exceed $1 billion

The waters have not yet receded in some places, but already officials and businesses around the state are tallying up the costs.

9/16/13

It's only September, but already 2013 has been a hellacious year for natural disasters in Colorado.

June wildfires in the Colorado Springs area were some of the costliest in state history. And now, the historic floods in northern Colorado are expected to not only impact residents directly in harm's way, but some important state industries -- including tourism, oil and agriculture.

Given the overall scope of the destruction, warns The Weather Channel, "don't be surprised to see the total damage figure from this event exceeding $1 billion, once damage to homes, roads, bridges, other infrastructure and agricultural losses is estimated."

As of Monday, according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, more than 1,500 homes have been destroyed, while nearly 17,500 other residential structures have been damaged and around 11,750 people forced to evacuate.

One of the big concerns is how the devastation will affect Colorado's essential tourism industry, both in the long- and short-term. In 2008, according to state figures, tourism employed over 144,000 people locally -- while in 2009 visitors to Colorado spent $8.6 billion on tourism-related expenditures.

And those expenditures are especially important to the state's high-country towns near prime Colorado tourist destinations. A recent study found visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park added close to $200 million to local economies annually while creating more than 2,700 jobs. Towns like Estes Park, just outside the national park, are digging out and hoping for the best -- while evaluating their losses.

"It's an economic blow. A financial haircut," Ernie Petrocine, owner of Outdoor World, told The Estes Park Trail Gazette. His store's interior is coated in mud and he's planning a half-price sale for damaged merchandise. "For the town, too, since they live off the sales tax revenue," he added.

Rick Benton, general manager of the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, tells MSN moneyNOW there are 50 local operations still open for business -- including a number of resorts -- and that the town is "is rapidly recovering due to a great town administration and emergency response teams."

Meanwhile, analysts say that many small businesses across the state, under financial pressure from the economic downturn and dealing with recent drought conditions, do not have the flood insurance needed to cover their current losses -- which could cripple or permanently close down a large number of operations.

But Colorado will bounce back, says Martin Shields, an economics professor at Colorado State University. "We'll rebuild roads and we'll rebuild bridges, and that's actually going to create jobs," he told MSN moneyNOW. "There will be probably a lot of federal money that comes in and that will be good from a jobs perspective."
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« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2013, 10:09:52 am »

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/17/20536628-more-than-500-rescued-or-found-safe-in-wake-of-deadly-colorado-floods?lite
9/17/13
More than 500 rescued or found safe in wake of deadly Colorado floods

Almost half of the people who were declared unaccounted for or missing following devastating floods in Colorado have been found safe following an intensive search by rescue teams, officials said.

About 1,200 people hadn't been heard from early Monday, five days after the floods hit. But that number was reduced to 648 as rescue efforts were ratcheted up later in the day, according to figures released by the Colorado Office for Emergency Management late Monday.

Officials described Monday as a "productive day," reporting 215 air rescues, 11 ground rescues and 120 pet rescues. It said 567 people previously considered unaccounted for had been contacted.

The flooding has now affected 17 counties. It has killed eight people, damaged or destroyed 18,000 buildings, and forced 11,750 people to evacuate their homes, acccording to the OEM.

Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also traveled to Colorado on President Barack Obama’s direction to meet with federal and state officials.

He joined more than 400 personnel from his organization who were supporting response efforts on the ground.

“FEMA continues to deploy resources in support of state and local response efforts, and to support residents and businesses in their recovery,” Fugate said in a statement issued by FEMA on Monday. “If you’ve been impacted by the flooding, let your family and friends know that you are safe and register with FEMA.”

The death toll climbed to eight on Monday, the Colorado Office for Emergency Management confirmed. They were not able to give out any more details, but the Denver Post cited a police as saying an 83-year-old man was swept away in Idaho Springs.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said 21 helicopters were scouring the affected area to look for people trapped by the waters.

More than half of those missing late Monday were in Larimer County. Two of the 398 who were unaccounted for in the county were presumed dead, according to the local sheriff’s office.

Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said 21 inches of rain fell in parts of Boulder city, northwest of Denver, during the week-long deluge, nearly double the area's average annual rainfall.

On Saturday, President Obama authorized federal aid to help state recovery efforts.

People in Boulder, Larimer, Adams, and Weld counties are eligible for assistance in temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property loss, FEMA said.

Counties eligible for other types of assistance include Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, and Washington.

Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said 21 inches of rain fell in parts of Boulder city, northwest of Denver, during the week-long deluge, nearly double the area's average annual rainfall. Meanwhile, authorities warned residents to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes that might be slithering to higher ground.

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« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2013, 12:17:55 pm »

Agenda 21 behind this? Huh

http://www.denverpost.com/environment/ci_24080336/dams-break-at-rocky-mountain-arsenal-and-larimer
9/12/13
Colorado flood: Dams break in Larimer and Adams counties; overflowing in Boulder

Record-shattering rainstorms across Colorado's Front Range led to flooding that blew out at least six dams Thursday, stranding a Larimer County family on the second floor of their home and breaching a federal stormwater holding pond northeast of Denver.

The floods also overflowed a dozen dams in Boulder County, but no structural failures had been reported Thursday evening, according to Boulder city spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.

Water flows in Boulder Creek reached 4,500 cubic feet per second, more than twice the previous peak flow in 26 years of measurement, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Colorado Water Science Center. Normal flow is 100 to 300 cfs.

Bill McCormick, who heads the state Division of Water Resources'

"(But) we have a few weak spots we're tracking," he said. Among them is Baseline Reservoir, a high-hazard dam in Boulder County. He expressed confidence that the dam will survive record-setting days of rain.

Many less-hazardous dams were designed to withstand a 100-year rainfall, however, "And the rainfall we've had is exceeding the design of those dams," McCormick said.

He urged people to be alert for damage to the hundreds, possibly thousands, of small earthen dams dotting the Colorado landscape, many of them too small to qualify for state safety inspections.

In Larimer County, five small dams in the Big Elk Meadows area failed, trapping a family up a washed-out county road, said John Schulz, a spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

When a county emergency services worker hiked in to check on the family Thursday, he saw a wall of water smash through the home's front door and flood the first floor. The family of three and their dog huddled on the second floor and waited to be rescued. The worker left a communications radio with the family to maintain contact.

As of Thursday afternoon, efforts to rescue the family had stalled. County Road 47, off the highway between Lyons and Estes Park, is washed out, preventing vehicles from reaching them.

Surging stormwaters channeling out of northeast Denver neighborhoods caused the rupture of the Havana Ponds dam inside Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, located just northeast of Denver. The dam broke around 10 a.m. as overflowing water ripped out several concrete slabs.

The currents carved an 8-foot-deep gully through the refuge and washed across roadways. Refuge managers raced to a series of other stormwater holding ponds and opened valves to relieve pressure.

By evening, the Irondale neighborhood at the northwest edge of the refuge was evacuated because the massive amounts of water retained on the refuge could no longer be contained by an earthen embankment distant from the Havana Ponds.

"The system is well-designed. It's just that this particular event is more than anything it's designed for," refuge manager Dave Lucas said at the scene.

State dam-safety inspectors fanned out Thursday to check conditions on larger dams where failures could be deadly.

Dam-safety engineer Ryan Schoolmeesters worked his way north from Denver, checking dams along Boulder Creek, Clear Creek and Bear Creek.

So far, "the dams seem to be in good condition," he said in Arvada. "A few of the spillways have activated, which is what they're designed for."

As a result, "residents could see some high spillway flow" downstream, he said, causing "road flooding, water in yards."

In Colorado, which has dammed nearly all of its rivers, hundreds of dams have become structurally deficient and in need of repairs.

According to a Division of Water Resources report for the year ending in October 2010, 359 dams are classified as high-hazard, meaning that their failure would probably kill people.

The state has dealt with deficiencies in these and other dams by limiting the amount of water they're permitted to hold.

"There are a total of 176 dams restricted from full storage," the state report read, "due to inadequate spillways and various structural deficiencies such as significant leakage, cracking and sliding of embankments."

The state has made some progress since. As of October, 157 dams "remained on the dam-safety restricted-storage list," the division's latest report says.

Those are just the larger dams. Earthen dams less than 10 feet high or capable of holding less than 100 acre-feet of water are classified as nonjurisdictional and not inspected, Schoolmeesters said.

Four of the five Big Elk Meadows dams were classed as too small to inspect. All five failed.

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« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2013, 12:23:09 pm »

Sorry couldn't copy and paste everything on this link - Dams, Reservoirs, and Straightening Rivers are on this list.

http://www.freedomadvocates.org/articles/sustainable_development/what_is_%22unsustainable%22%3f_2003022414/
What is "Unsustainable"?     
By Freedom Advocates     
Sunday, 23 February 2003 18:00 
 
The Global Biodiversity Assessment directed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls for urgent action to reverse the effects of unsustainable human activities on global biodiversity, including but not limited to the following...


 
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« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2013, 01:46:25 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/cloud-seeding-not-blame-colorado-flooding-140258385.html

Excerpt:

Quote
Cloud seeding, in which tiny silver iodide particles are sprayed into clouds to provide a core for ice crystals to form around, falls within the Colorado Weather Modification Program that is overseen by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and is used primarily by ski resorts to increase the snowpack during the winter. The program — which has been reported to increase the snowpack by 10 to 15 percent each year — remains controversial among those concerned about the unknown repercussions of manipulating weather in this way. [Colorado Flood Photos: 100-Year Storm]

But Andrew Heymsfield, senior research scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., (which was shut down by the floods) says that there is no scientific basis for the argument that cloud seeding could have caused the recent destructive storms.
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« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2013, 01:47:29 pm »

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/colorado-evacuees-return-more-heartbreak-204403730.html
9/16/13
Colorado evacuees return to find more heartbreak

Colorado flood evacuees return under clear skies to find more heartbreak


HYGIENE, Colo. (AP) -- Weary Colorado evacuees have begun returning home after days of rain and flooding, but Monday's clearing skies and receding waters revealed only more heartbreak: toppled houses, upended vehicles and a stinking layer of muck covering everything.

Rescuers grounded by weekend rains took advantage of the break in the weather to resume searches for people still stranded, with 21 helicopters fanning out over the mountainsides and the plains to drop supplies and airlift those who need help.

The number of dead and missing people was difficult to pinpoint. State emergency officials reported the death toll at eight Monday, but local officials were still investigating the circumstances of two of the fatalities.

In a Colorado Springs creek Monday, authorities recovered the body of a man but can't say yet if the death is related to recent flooding. And in Idaho Springs, an 83-year-old man died Monday afternoon when the ground he was standing on gave way and he was swept away by Clear Creek, according to The Denver Post.

Two of the eight fatalities are women missing and presumed dead.

The number of missing people was dropping as the state's count fell Monday from just over 1,200 to about half that. State officials hoped the overall number would continue to drop with rescuers reaching more people and phone service being restored.

"You've got to remember, a lot of these folks lost cellphones, landlines, the Internet four to five days ago," Gov. John Hickenlooper said on NBC's "Today" show. "I am very hopeful that the vast majority of these people are safe and sound."

Residents of Hygiene returned to their small community east of the foothills to find mud blanketing roads, garages, even the tops of fence posts. The raging St. Vrain River they fled three days earlier had left trucks in ditches and carried items as far as 2 miles downstream.

"My own slice of heaven, and it's gone," Bill Marquedt said after finding his home destroyed.

Residents immediately set to sweeping, shoveling and rinsing, but the task of rebuilding seemed overwhelming to some.

"What now? We don't even know where to start," said Genevieve Marquez. "It's not even like a day by day or a month thing.

"I want to think that far ahead but it's a minute by minute thing at this point. And, I guess now it's just help everyone out and try to get our lives back," she added.

The town of Lyons was almost completely abandoned. Emergency crews gave the few remaining residents, mostly wandering Main Street looking for status updates, a final warning to leave Sunday.

Most of the town's trailer parks were completely destroyed. One angry man was throwing his possessions one by one into the river rushing along one side of his trailer on Sunday, watching the brown water carry them away while drinking a beer.

Helicopters had evacuated more than 100 stranded residents in Larimer County by midafternoon Monday, said Chuck Russell, a spokesman for the federal incident command helping with the response.

Russell said he expected that helicopter crews would evacuate a total of up to 400 by the end of the day and perhaps twice that number on Tuesday.

Once the evacuations are complete, officials said it could take weeks or even months to search through flood-ravaged areas looking for people who died.

In the mountain towns, major roads were washed away or covered by mud and rock slides. Hamlets like Glen Haven were reduced to debris and key infrastructure like gas lines and sewers systems were destroyed.

Hundreds of homes around Estes Park, next to Rocky Mountain National Park, could be unreachable and uninhabitable for up to a year, town administrator Frank Lancaster said.

State emergency officials offered a first glimpse at the scope of the damage, with counties reporting about 19,000 homes either damaged or destroyed.

Those preliminary figures are certain to change as the waters continue to recede and roads are cleared to allow crews to access more areas.

Searchers in the air and on the ground scoured isolated areas from the foothills east to homes and communities along waterways downstream.

Cole Cannon, a volunteer firefighter with the Indian Peaks Fire Protection District, said he encountered mud, rocks, slides and fallen trees rode as he rode an all-terrain vehicle down Lefthand Canyon to the town of Rowena.

Numerous houses had been destroyed, and he didn't know whether the residents had escaped or would be found dead.

Hickenlooper said later at a news conference that many of the bridges, culverts and roadways that were damaged and destroyed were built a long time ago, and with federal assistance, the state could come away with a stronger infrastructure.
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« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2013, 06:29:13 pm »

Striking aerial views of the Colorado flood damage(19 Photos)
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/striking-aerial-views-of-the-colorado-flood-damage-slideshow/
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« Reply #17 on: September 18, 2013, 11:30:58 am »

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-left-hand-canyon-20130918,0,432263.story
Water has receded, but not the crisis for flooded Colorado

Though the rain has stopped, canyon communities in Colorado remain isolated and surrounded by rushing water, and 600 people are still waiting to be rescued
.
9/17/13

LEFTHAND CANYON, Colo. — By late summer, Left Hand Creek is usually a gentle stream that gurgles through this tranquil, tree-shaded neighborhood of spacious lots.

It was anything but that last week when rain-swollen waters enveloped houses, turned roads into riverbeds and sent cars tumbling downstream.
 
Hui Lam fled before dawn Thursday after the creek came thundering across his driveway and down Streamcrest Drive.

"It's completely surrounded by water," Lam, 41, said as he surveyed the area Tuesday, his house perched precariously against the current of brown, rushing water at the mouth of Lefthand Canyon. The rains had gone and the sun was shining, but the dirt road leading home remained a fast-flowing river.
 
Even as flooding recedes, Colorado is reeling. Communities up and down the state's Front Range remain isolated by washed-out roads, stranded by rushing creeks and without water and power. By Tuesday morning more than 3,000 people had been rescued in Boulder and Larimer counties, the areas hit the hardest by the flooding, officials said. An additional 600 people in Larimer County were waiting to be rescued.
 
Lam and several neighbors watched as a search-and-rescue team with the Federal Emergency Management Agency forded the braids of water in Left Hand Creek to knock on doors and look for signs of people still inside homes that have become inaccessible.
 
"Now there's a river everywhere and there's a lot of destruction," said Kevin Meschede, a firefighter from Omaha and a search-and-rescue specialist on the team. "There's footings washed away from houses, trees down, power lines down. Big, giant boulders. Cars. Everything that should normally be sitting in place is moving downstream."
 
More than 17 inches of rain fell on nearby Boulder in just over a week, breaking monthly and annual records in a place where precipitation averages 19.34 inches a year, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Kyle Fredin.
 
The number of people missing or unaccounted for statewide dropped to 581 from a peak of 1,200. Eight people were dead or missing and presumed to have died in flood-related events, officials said.
 
It is expected to take at least several more days for rain-swollen rivers to crest. As the water sweeps down the South Platte River toward Nebraska, towns in Colorado's northeastern plains are bracing for flooding. Logan County officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for the small community of Crook on Tuesday morning, directing residents to take shelter in a high school.
 
In the canyons along the Front Range, emergency responders are going door to door in some of the hardest-hit areas to search for people who may have stayed behind, even after evacuation orders and helicopter rescues.
 
"We're beyond the stage of the obvious people that want to be rescued," said Niko King, an information officer for FEMA. Many that remain are those that believe they can stick it out for days longer. "They have generators and food. We get it. They're hardy people," he said.
 
Authorities cannot force residents to leave their homes, King said, but they try to make a strong case by telling holdouts that they could be stuck there for weeks without power, water or food.
 
Lam, a finance director for a software company, had stayed behind at first, monitoring the rain from his home office in Lefthand Canyon, where he's lived for 13 years. After all, it wasn't the first time his family had been warned of flash flooding. Frightened by the roar of the water, Lam's wife, son and daughter left for higher ground about 12:30 a.m Thursday.
 
As the water kept rising, a neighbor called about 3 a.m. and told him: "We're leaving. You should leave too."
 
Lam grabbed the few belongings he could, bolted out the door and jumped in his Mercedes-Benz sedan. But the car stalled and wouldn't restart, so he left it behind and ran uphill toward a neighbor's house.
 
At least one of his neighbors had to be carried out by rescue crews, but Lam said he managed to get out that night. By then, the water was waist-deep and his car sat on its side, jammed between two trees.
 
"If I had stayed in my house another 15 minutes I would have had to have been rescued," he said Tuesday.
 
Those trees that snagged his car had been swept away and, for all he knows, the car is floating somewhere downstream. But behind his house, near where Left Hand Creek usually runs, a wooden play set for his 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son sits intact.
 
David Mamolen, a chiropractor who lives down the street, returned to check on his home Tuesday. The quaint white house with its big porch, where he has lived for 27 years, looked as if someone had picked it up and dropped it next to a raging river, he said. In fact, it was the river that had moved.
 
Mamolen managed to escape the flood last week behind the wheel of his Subaru Outback. Now, there is no way in or out, just a mess of stones, gravel and small boulders. "Those all came with the water," he said. Instead of a road, "we have a river, two rivers, three rivers," he said, counting them with his index finger.
 
His house sustained only minor damage and he would like to stay, but his wife is not so sure.
 
"I'm 65 years old. I was on the verge of being retired," he said. "Now my retirement will be rehabbing this home."
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« Reply #18 on: September 18, 2013, 02:09:39 pm »

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/18/20556114-coloradans-told-to-stay-out-of-floodwater-following-chemical-and-sewage-fears?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3
9/18/13
Coloradans told to stay out of floodwater following chemical and sewage fears

As attention turns to the aftermath of Colorado’s record floods, people have been warned to stay out of the lingering water because it may contain harmful chemicals and sewage, officials said.

Emergency airlifts waned late Tuesday as the number of people still unaccounted for continued to decrease, the Associated Press reported, although crews were stepping up efforts to find the hundreds of people still missing. This left rescue crews to assess the ruined homes, roads and bridges which littered the 17 counties hit by the extreme weather.

Among officials’ chief concerns is the possibility that harmful pollution has been unleashed into the floodwater, especially in the oil and gas drilling center of Weld County.

“Many contaminants, such as raw sewage, as well as potential releases of chemicals from homes, businesses and industry, may be contained in the floodwaters," Mark Salley, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told the Colorado Springs Gazette.

“People are encouraged to stay out of the water as much as possible and wash frequently with warm water and soap if they do come in contact with contaminated water.”

Canadian energy firm Encana Corp has been forced to shut 99 of its 1,200 wells in the state. It is one of several companies which has begun inspections to repair and limit the effects of the storm, a spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

“We still have not found any spills of any reportable quantity, but cannot rule out future discoveries until we get to everything,” said spokesman Doug Hock in the email.

Young Gas Storage Co, in Morgan County, and Colorado Interstate Gas (CIG) both declared force majeures due to exposures of natural gas lines, Reuters said. CIG said on its website that the lines were exposed due to erosion and scouring caused by heavy flooding in the area, but that there were no reports of damage to line itself.

“At this point, as access continues to be limited and emergency responders remain focused on lives, property and roadways, we have limited information about specific impacts or particular locations," spokesman for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) Todd Hartman told the Colorado Springs Gazette.

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« Reply #19 on: September 19, 2013, 04:02:29 pm »

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/colorado-floodwaters-move-into-nebraska/17908129
9/19/13
Colorado Floodwaters Move Downstream Into Nebraska

While weather is expected to improve for rescue efforts in Colorado, the flood threat is far from over as the flood crest continues to move downstream into Nebraska. These waters will inundate farms, agricultural fields, roadways and residences within the flood plain.

After a week of colossal flooding in Boulder, Colo., floodwaters are now moving downstream along the South Platte River.

Towns in eastern Colorado have already experienced devastating flooding which incapacitated multiple gas and oil wells in the area. These wells have spilled chemicals into floodwaters and led to mounting concerns from officials regarding public health.

As floodwaters continue to flow, the flood crest, or the highest level that water on the river reaches before falling, has extended down the South Platte River.

"It's a done deal already on the South Platte," AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said.

The South Platte River is a major river in Nebraska entering the state at the northeast corner of Colorado.

The river begins south of Denver in the Rockies, flows through the city toward northern Colorado and then turns east. Soon after it enters the state of Nebraska it meets the North Platte River at North Platte and becomes the Platte River. It continues near Omaha and finally dumps into the Missouri River.

While Denver missed the serious flooding as the worst of the rain fell northward along the Front Range, towns along the South Platte River will not be so lucky.

Flood warnings are already in effect for areas on the main stream of the river and those who live or own property in the flood plain are at the greatest risk.

Flood crests are expected through Friday evening in most areas but flood crests near Brady, Neb., at the end of line should expect crests as late as Saturday night into Sunday.



According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, or NOAA, the South Platte's flood crest at North Platte will crest just shy of the record Friday night into Saturday.

With the high water levels predicted, agricultural flooding will be a huge problem as floodwaters pose serious threats to property, crops, livestock and well water in the area.

"Anyone with any kind of agriculture in the river bottom is going to run the risk of losing property and losing crops," Andrews said. "Summer crops will not have been brought in by then."

Unprotected houses could also be washed away along with roadways in the vicinity of the river.

Even though the farther the flood crest travels the more subdued it gets, residents along the river should take the necessary precautions, pay attention to local authorities and evacuate if and when necessary.
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« Reply #20 on: September 20, 2013, 10:35:25 pm »

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/20/20606351-colorado-town-unlivable-for-months-after-flooding-residents-are-told?lite
9/20/13
Colorado town unlivable for months after flooding, residents are told

Severe damage from the deadly floods that swept Colorado could keep residents of one town out of their homes for up to six months, officials said.

E. coli bacteria contaminated the drinking water system for Lyons, and the wastewater system suffered at least $1 million in damage, town administrator Victoria Simonsen told the crowd at a meeting Thursday, the Longmont Times Call reported.

To the north in Larimer County, at least 82 people were still unaccounted for after the flooding last week, and Larimer County sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said some of those eventually would be added to the official list of missing.

"We certainly expect that a number of people on that list will be listed as missing rather than unaccounted for and will turn up dead,” Schulz told Reuters. “We hope that will be a low number."

The list of people who are unaccounted for statewide has been steadily falling from 1,200 a few days ago, Reuters reported, as families reunite, evacuees register and rescue teams reach areas cut off by the floods.

The official death toll stands at seven: four in Boulder County, two in El Paso and one in Clear Creek County. But at least three others are presumed dead, and Reuters said search dogs were combing a large debris field near Loveland in the Big Thompson River canyon, where a 1976 flood killed more than 140.

When torrential rain and flooding began last week across the central part of the state, homes were destroyed, roads washed away and vital infrastructure damaged. The flooding also hit oil fields on the state’s Front Range, and authorities said Friday that at least 22,000 gallons of oil had spilled from tanks, complicating the cleanup effort.

Authorities in areas downstream in Nebraska warned residents to avoid contact with flood water.

Property losses could hit $2 billion, the catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat said Wednesday in its first comprehensive estimate.

In Lyons, one casualty of flooding was the Planet Bluegrass Ranch, home of a couple of well-known music festivals – RockyGrass and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. But employee Brian Eyster told the Denver Post that organizers plan to repair and rebuild in time for next summer’s events.

"Just on the emotional power alone, it'll be the best RockyGrass ever,” Eyster told the Post. “It has to be."
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« Reply #21 on: September 22, 2013, 09:37:39 pm »

http://news.msn.com/us/builders-soldiers-hustle-to-reconnect-colo-towns
Builders, soldiers hustle to reconnect Colo. towns

Teams were assessing how much damage needed to be repaired on Colorado's eastern plains before trucks begin hauling in the fall harvest.

LONGMONT, Colo. — State highway crews and National Guard troops worked furiously Sunday to repair highways to Colorado mountain towns cut off by unprecedented flooding.

Other teams were assessing how much damage needed to be repaired on Colorado's eastern plains before trucks begin hauling in the fall harvest.

"They're really humming," said Jerre Stead, the corporate executive chosen by Gov. John Hickenlooper to oversee the state's recovery from the catastrophic floods, which killed seven and wreaked havoc across 17 counties and 2,000 square miles.

Stead and Don Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, said they were optimistic they can meet a Dec. 1 target to complete temporary fixes to at least some roads, if more bad weather doesn't interfere.

Quick repairs are critical because winter weather will make highway work more difficult and force the closure of the high-elevation Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, one of only two routes still open into Estes Park, a small town at the park's east entrance.

Also looming are the harvests from Colorado's $8.5 billion-a-year agriculture industry, which relies on trucks to get cattle and crops to markets.

Officials said it's too early to know how much time and money it will take to make permanent repairs, but they say it will cost more than $100 million.

Some 200 miles of state highways and 50 bridges were destroyed.

On Sunday, Stead and Hunt drove up flood-battered U.S. 36 northwest of Denver until they reached a point where floodwaters had obliterated the roadway. Then they got out and hiked.

Holding his hands about shoulder-width apart, Stead said, "You're on paths this narrow where the roads used to be."

Residents who chose not to evacuate aboard National Guard helicopters gave them a lift at one point, Hunt said. Those isolated residents can drive along unscathed sections of highway but can't reach either Estes Park on the north or Lyons on the south.

Hunt said residents of Pinewood Springs had built makeshift trails along highway washouts and planned to escort some children along those paths to waiting vehicles on Monday.

He didn't know how many children were making the trek or how far they would have to walk.

Stead said the devastation was worse than he expected, but Hunt was more optimistic.

"It's maybe not as bad as I thought," he said. "The damage is severe, but it's highly concentrated" in a few areas, mostly where roads share a narrow canyon with a river.

Hunt said the biggest difficulties will be getting construction materials into damaged areas and protecting workers and travelers from falling rocks loosened by days of heavy rain.

Colorado will award several contracts for emergency repairs to construction companies on Monday. State employees and National Guard soldiers are already on the job and making quick progress, Stead said.

The federal government will reimburse the state up to $100 million for road repairs, CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said, but Colorado officials are pushing to raise that to $500 million, which she said was the cap for mid-Atlantic states rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

"It is critically important that we get this relief," she said.
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« Reply #22 on: September 23, 2013, 03:49:15 am »

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said Jerre Stead, the corporate executive chosen by Gov. John Hickenlooper to oversee the state's recovery from the catastrophic floods

Is anybody asking questions about that? Who is that guy and what qualifications does he have to oversee what is a government operation? No question the state has an emergency response plan, yet they have to go outside government to handle this? No state official can oversee this? I smell a rat.
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« Reply #23 on: October 11, 2013, 07:46:36 pm »

http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/10/colorado-flooding-aftermath-a-first-hand-report-by-roger-i.html

Colorado Flooding Aftermath: A First Hand Report, by Roger I.

I lived in Jamestown Colorado until three weeks ago, and was prepared for various disasters, mostly fire, and I always expected a road system to exist.  Wrong-o!

I have a more keen sense of the Lord's blessings, and they are amazing. The outpouring of support from the various communities that I'm in has been amazing.   I am walking in abundance, but not everybody is. My life has had a hard reboot - I was in some middle-aged doldrums - no more! I anonymized my name and corporate affiliation in the narrative, otherwise, it's unedited, and reflects my understanding of the events at different times, as things unfolded.

This is a narrative of surviving a flood in a small mountain town of 350 persons in Boulder County, Colorado.  After several days of unusual rains, the situation was described as a 500 year flood event.    On Sept 11 I was having barbeque with a friend, and it started raining.   No big deal.  On Sept 12, I could not get to work, because of road flooding, the power was out, and I was prepared with radio, walkie talkies, electricity and food.  I thought we'd down for a couple days, or maybe a week.  On Friday, Sept 13, it became clear that we were cut off from the larger world, and that something extraordinary was occurring.  I was well prepared for the wildfires that come here, but not a flood. I always thought that the road system would exist - and that was the biggest gap in my planning!

Here's a stream-of-consciousness description of events, unedited.

Roger's Jamestown Flood Narrative #1 - Evacuation Sept 18 2013

The Bad:

Last Friday, Sept 13, a Chinook helicopter evacuated my wife and I from Jamestown, Colorado with 3 cats, a backpack each.

Even if the main road is open after weeks or months, my house in town on a minor dirt road was across a bridge. Bridges belong to the  town, as does the water system. Rebuilding Jamestown may occur at the earliest a year, or not at all, depending on FEMA. Given the damage in Lyons, Longmont and Boulder ... well, Jamestown,  with  300 people doesn't take  priority. On  Tuesday, Sept  24, I am mounting an expedition with a couple 4WD vehicles to winterize  the houses, and get 2 cars worth of possessions. Getting things out must be done on foot, over a makeshift bridge and ford with backpacks - even a wheelbarrow or wagon isn't  possible, and I'm hiring some younger friends that meet the inflexible  Sheriff's requirement of having a Jamestown drivers license. I am concerned about squatters and looters, but  the area's secure for a week or so.

There is no vehicle access to the town. Jamestown may not be rebuilt - we've all heard of a ghost town.

Some great  learning opportunities! Did I mention that FEMA forms are full of  questions that you need legal papers to answer? Did I mention that Hospice Thrift Shop is the best  in Boulder? Did I mention that learning to live without my own car is a challenge? Did I mention that learning to use the bus system (which is quite good here) will be a hoot?

The  Good: Really, I'm blessed. My friend Norm picked us up from the Chinook [CH-47 military helicopter] at Boulder airport, and let us stay in his spare bedroom.

Rental with 3 cats is difficult, but it turns out my friend had a tenant not pay rent on Sept 1, and he just had evicted him and the guy left the place  smelling of cat piddle - perfect for someone with three cats! No need to paint, re-carpet, or even put an ad out for a new tenant, it was all done on a handshake.

My wife and I dropped in to my job to do the admin work of setting up a new house. It  is  so good  to have  a place with phone, printer and internet to perform change  of address, phone  service, and so forth.

Someone from my work  offered to loan a spare car!

The future - I may  have lost a house, but may still have  a primitive cabin! My old house above  Jamestown  survived, and because it has a well (with water  that  is rust-colored) and is on the main road may become habitable if they rebuild the road.   Currently, accessibility is via  seasonal mountain dirt roads and the commute to Boulder is 3.5 hours.

How great  is it to have housing, transportation and work's understanding of the situation?

It's  a disaster, but not a tragedy.


Roger's Jamestown Flood Narrative #2 - from response to recovery Sept 22 2013

The initial disaster response is complete.  Immediate physical needs of housing, furniture and transportation are met.   Martha & Marc S. loaned me a Prius, and it's a blast to drive!  Not having internet really hurts, but will be done Thurs, Sept 26.    I'm ahead of the curve in the physical world, but behind in the infosphere, and that's okay.   I can spend way too much time on a computer. Last  week, my wife had an urgent care incident involving  a tiny nick on a finger that turned to a big infection requiring antibiotic injection.   If we had stayed in Jamestown, we would have been in real trouble. Wash your hands!

Weather permitting, I'll muster a team on Tues Sept 24 to recover valuables. This is done with backpacks across a footbridge, and the distance is only 1/2  mile across  a new stream, and up a steep hill.   Our cars are not accessible, and still no word on a temporary bridge to retrieve them. At least our buildings are intact, but they are now buildings, not homes or rental houses. We'll also perform winterization of cars and buildings (drain traps must have anti-freeze, empty water heaters, washing machines, etc). Greg, Rick,  and Nate are loaning 4WD trucks, and I look forward to using trained engineers as pack animals ;-) I also have a couple young volunteer firefighter friends.  I rent a house to one of 'em, and every time he did a call, I told him to take $50 off the rent, to show my appreciation of his public service.   Of course, he's eager to help too.  Karma works.

FEMA help is a mixed blessing.   They provide a lot of help, but are pretty nosy. I paid my taxes for 40 years, and getting some back would be soooo nice. FEMA is a road show - they may leave here this week, so coordinating their inspectors with my Jamestown expedition is challenging.    It  may require 4 trips to Jamestown. My wife is affected financially, as she was a landlord, and now has only a meager state pension, (in lieu of Social Security), and now has rent expenses as well as loss of income. She will be navigating state  and local government assistance, as well as  FEMA. Funny how our plans can change  - I thought I'd be trimming the trees and doing some fire mitigation this month.   That's  one pain in the neck that I don't have! (Later we see this wasn't true ! )

For  my geek friends,   this has been a life-reboot, and I've just gotten past POST, and am in that place where you're waiting and waiting for the OS to come up and display the logon screen.

I  have the understanding of my company management team at this time - folks I know do not have the work flexibility that I've been blessed with.  The outpouring of generosity from employees is noteworthy -  I asked for a  bed, and had 3 on Friday by noon.  I have better cookware  and cutlery that I had in Jamestown.    Physical goods are abundant,  and buying them doesn't make much sense - money's  a lot harder to come by than stuff.

That's all for now!

"It's a disaster, not a tragedy"

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