Fort Lyon Faces Yet Another Test; Storm Damages: Pueblo Chieftain

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Fort Lyoi faces % -ct another test: storm damages said. Federal damage assessment teams toured the grounds Monday, he said. http://www.chieftain.com/print.php3?story=2 Similar kinds of hail damage struck the 75 -80 houses that surround the hospital grounds. (An additional 16 rental houses on campus are occupied.) Some of the homes also incurred heavy basement flooding. With many of the homes older and occupied by senior citizens, sheriffs and fire crews along with American Red Cross workers moved quickly to provide help. "We've got a situation where probably for more than a dozen of these homes, because of their age and amount of water, the foundation is buckling," said Red Cross spokesman Melody Burns of Pueblo. "Some of these homes will not be habitable." A shortage of water pumps slowed cleanup efforts, she said. Still, as of Monday, the most pressing concern was the heat wave gripping Southern Colorado. Without running water, rescue workers feared the near 100 - degree heat could turn threatening, Burns said. Volunteers walked the neighborhoods to distribute Red Cross disaster kits as well as drinking water, Burns said. Also, an emergency shelter was opened at the Las Animas senior center, she said. The Red Cross also is providing food and rooms at local motels for those in need, she said. The ages of the residents worried rescue workers, Burns said. A group of rescue workers approached one elderly man and, "They asked what he needed and he didn't even know what to ask for," she said. Contributions to the Red Cross disaster relief fund at U.S. Bank in La Junta or any Minnequa Bank branch in Pueblo. The agency's regional office is at 3821 W. Pueblo Blvd. The storm hit about 9 p.m. Thursday night. While the worst of the hail appeared centered on the VA hospital, high winds caused damage for miles around. One farmer near Hasty reported a metal barn flattened by the wind. The flooding came from the immense rain, Bent County Sheriff Nate Valdez said. As much as 2 inches of rain fell within a couple of hours, Valdez said. Runoffs as deep as 18 inches flowed off the farms, Valdez said. Sections of U.S. 50 near Fort Lyon were closed after nearly 3 feet of water swept over the roadway, he said. John Ming, director of the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office in Bent County, said the storm likely ruined the young corn crop in the Fort Lyon area. The latest crop of hay - much of which was cut but not bundled - also suffered damage and will go for less than premium prices, he said. 2 of 3 6/12/01 10:08 AM