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KCOL Flood Coverage KCOL's involvement in the flooding that occurred in Thompson, Poudre and Rist Canyons between July 3l-August 1 began on Friday, July 30, when our private forecasting service, the GRID Weather Center began predicting the possibility that heavy thundershowers could produce high country flash flooding. By early Saturday evening the forecasts were bluntly telling high country campers to keep their radios tuned in and to watch stream levels carefully. At 8:59 P.M.. KCOL interrupted the Denver Broncos broadcast to assist the Larimer County Sheriff's office in calling up reserve officers and warning of high water on the Thompson. Another call-up announcement and warning was run at 9:27 P.M. Ten minutes later lat 9:37 P.M.) John Henz of the GRID Weather Center was on the air (again during the Broncos broadcastl with a special statement detailing the intensity of the rainfall in the Estes Park area and warning of the potential of flooding downstream and on the Poudre north of Fort Collins (the Thompson is south-Fort Collins is located on the Poudre River). At 10:49 P.M. the Larimer County Sheriff's office was calling out more reserves and urging evacuation in the Thompson Canyon. At 11:07 P.M. the Sheriff's office repeated its evacuation notice of the Thompson and urged Poudre Valley residents to be alert for evacuation if needed. By the time the Broncos game had ended KCOL General Manager Jack Miller, who had been participating in the Larimer Legacies Centennial production, had been notified and backup staff was called to the studios. At 11:20 P.M. the Larimer County Sheriff's office stopped all traffic into the Thompson Canyon and again urged Poudre Canyon area residents to be alert. This warning was coupled with another special statement from the GRID Weather Center on the rising danger in the Poudre Valley and flooding in the Thompson Canyon. (No one knew yet that the peak crest had already passed in the Thompson Canyon.) At 11:44 P.M, another special weather statement repeated the previous warnings and again detailed the amounts of rain falling and the potential for more rainfall. At 11:47 P,M. KCOL's Dave Roe (called in from off duty) aired a local bulletin with the first reports of major flooding and damage in the Loveland area and emphasizing the potential danger for residents and campers in the Poudre Canyon and low lying areas of Laporte. Fort Collins and areas downstream. At 11:54 P.M. KCOL News Director John DeHaes (also called in off duty) aired another local bulletin repeating the sketchy information beginning to come in from the Thompson Canyon and repeated the warnings to residents along the Poudre. At midnight KCOL AM announced that it would not sign off as usual but would stay on the air to continue to serve area residents with up.to.the-minute information. Public Service Director Dave Roe took over as on.air anchorman with John DeHaes in the newsroom in almost constant contact with the Larimer County Sheriff's office and the GRID Weather Center. Music (no commercials) was used to fill the brief gaps between reports on the situation which came at ever increasing frequency. Shortly after midnight the first eyewitness report came in from Loveland where KCOL Program Director Wi! Huett was spending some off duty time with relatives. His first report from Loveland detailed the increasing danger to the city of Loveland following conversations with the head of the city's street department At this time low lying areas of Loveland were being evacuated and as much water as possible was being drawn off the river into canals feeding into Lake Loveland. Huett's report gave the first hint of what was to come, reporting that at least one house had floated down the swollen waters to the west edge of Loveland. Huett filed another report from Loveland from the High School which had hurriedly been established as refugee headquarters. Huett then made contact with Loveland City Manager Don Hataway at the municipal building and received the first report of deaths. Another report from the scene described flooding in the city of Loveland itself, where the river had closed off highway 287 and many muni. cipal streets and spread out to V2 mile wide in some areas. Huett's next report from Loveland came after traveling the length of the river through the city. Meanwhile Roe and DeHaes kept tabs on the rising danger on the Poudre River as some persons began to evacuate and low lying areas came under the imminent threat of inundation. DeHaes' wife Lorraine was in the studios answering phones along with KCOL staffer Mary Shepherd who had remained after an already hectic 8 hours on duty. As early morning hours wore on, news from the Thompson area dropped off. All nonnallines of communications were interrupted and roads were out so no one knew the full extent of the disaster that had already struck. The Poudre continued its inexorable rise. GRiD Weather Center provided KCOL with meteorological information as to the amount of rain that had fallen and the danger it posed. Sheriff's officers began closing roads along the route of the Poudre, volunteers began calling in offering their help to refugees and emer. , gency sleeping quarters were set up in Fort Collins. DeHaes and Roe kept the information flowing. The Poudre Canyon highway was closed due to rock and mudslides. Two highways through Fort Collins were threatened. Several city and county roads were closed due to high water and washouts. DeHaes reported from the scene of several of these danger spots. In the pre-dawn hours the Poudre levelled out. GRID Weather Center pre- dicted the abatement of the rain and diminishing floodwaters. Roe and DeHaes decided to sign the station off the air at 5:40 A.M. since little new information was forthcoming and the greatest danger had passed. This 5 hour and 40 minute period of normal off.the-air time was devoted exclusively to flood and weather information. At 7 A.M. KCOL-AM was back on the air reporting information that was beginning to trickle in as rescue operations got underway. Reporting on the mobilization, the call up of civilian and military helicopters, and the first authoritative reports of the extent of damage occu- pied the total of KCOL's regularly scheduled news time plus continuous non.scheduled updates. The GRID Weather Center indicated the continued potential for additional flash flooding along the foothills and on the plains. Again additional staffers were called in-or volunteered their services when they heard of the disaster. News- man Mark Radtke was dispatched to the scene in Loveland where he reported on the growing rescue effort and the damage that was now becoming apparent. (Radtke is a Loveland native.) Throughout Sunday the reports continued: of