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State Patrol During the emergency, the State Patrol cooperated and coordin- ated its efforts with the State Highway Department and civil defense personnel. The biggest problem the patrol faced during the floods was caused by the loss of its electrical power in Denver. An auxilIary power plant was used when the patrol station lost its commercial power but this plant had to be shut down when water began filling the base- ' ment of the highway department's building where it was located. Another problem faced by the State Patrol . involved rerouting traffic. Under ordinary circumstances, county roads can be used for rerouting traffic around damaged roads and bridges, but in many areas the flooding waters had also washed out county roads and bridges as well as the main highways. The commander at Fort Carson responded to a request from the State Patrol for assistance by providing six heli- copters to remove persons stranded because of washed-out bridges. The patrol also received assistance from private highway contractors in the form of six light plants, and, with these plants to illuminate major highway intersections, the patrol was able to man these inter- sections with only one rather than several patrolmen. J" State Hiqhwav Department The floods also posed unusual problems for the State Highway Department. Normally, in localized areas of highway damage, the de- partment is able to effect temporary repairs using its local forces, but in this particular instance the damage was of such magnitude and was dispersed over such a wide area that it became necessary to utilize the resources of private contracting firms and practically any other group which had the necessary equipment, materials, and manpower. Following arrangements for temporary repairs, the department began con- tracting for the rebuilding of permanent highway structures. The de- partment temporarily used private consulting engineers on a contract basis, and also used many old blueprints as guides to the reconstruc- tion of the washed-out bridges. State Department of Public Welfare With the permission of the federal government, the State Depart- ment of Public Welfare distributed a portion of its food surplus commodities to flood victims upon a written statement of need; because of the emergent situation, no home visits or other proof of need was required. Other distributions were made directly to the American Red Cross and the Division of Civil Defense for mass-feeding purposes. Although many private agencies tried to determine needs of the flood victims and requested assistance from the department, state officials did not respond to these requests unless they had been approved by local county welfare officials. According to the state welfare direc- tor, the welfare rolls had not been affected five weeks after the floods; the group that the department originally expected to request assistance did not appear and apparently became employed in the clean- up operations. There were a number of welfare recipients living in the low-lying, flooded areas, and the department helped some of these to relocate. However, many choose to return to their flood-damaged homes. - 8 -