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Denver The. Denver Post: July 30, 2006 -Page 1c Qirculation:306,OOO daily, 801,000 Sunday lie THOMPSONft*I.30 YEARS LATER Joyce IUlni Thompson' H..... H. R1c1tanlson I The Denver Post :ad of the Big Thompson Canyon Association, holds a photo of her property after the Big . ravaged the area on July 31, 1976, Her house survived; many neighbors' homes did not. F.cURY' Colorado's worst natural disaster c , , killed 144 in its unstoppable path RAN WILD By Monte Whaley, Denver Post Stoff Writer Out of the darkness. the Big-Thomp- son River rose from the canyon floor, asurgingwall ofwatenofeet high that flung people from their homes into a nightmarish quest for survival D.R. and Ginny Pulliam had just re- turned from a long trip, but within mo- ments,the couple were de$perately climb- ing an old elm tree as the river lapped aroundtheiranldes. Andy and Barb Anderson had put their daughters to bed not lon.g before they wer!fq~ced out, shivering in the night as thel~'passed by, They c:ouldonly lis- ten as the river smashed against rocks and debris. LeAking-propane tanks rippedlrom the shore exploded in the distance, sporadi- cally lighting the canyon walls. A stench. something akin to rotten eggs. fdled the air. The An!!ersons di!!n't dare light a match lor fear olignitingthe propane. "I'U never forgetthe noise, but mostly J won't lorget the smell,.. sai!! Barb Ander- son. "Itwll$awful" The'U9c~picl<ed up speed as it surged eastward, moving at 10 mph and sweep- ingaWay anything in its path - people, > See~~lton 4C Denver PG<t lite photo ,. In the aftermath of the flood. officials counted .p8 homes and 52 businesses that were destroyed, plus 438 vehicles. numer- oUS bridges and roads, and countless power and phone lines. EVENTS: A LIST OF MEMORIAlS TODAY. MONDAY >4C IN PERSPECnvE: WHAT DID THE BIG THOMPSON Ft:.O~DTEACH US ABOUT WATER? > IE ONUNE: A POST REPORTER WAS THERE IN 1976, READ HIS RECOLLECTIONS> DENVERPOST.COM 7