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<br />August 3rd, 6,06 inches of rain fell in 27 hours, with 3 inches in 3 hours. Again, buildings <br />on the Oval flooded, with 5.5 feet of water in the Heating Plant. Officials noted that a <br />large storm sewer was needed to drain the area and to remove the hazard caused by the <br />limited opening under the railroad tracks. A number of improvements were completed, <br />including a storm sewer from the Oval and two additional storm sewers to take water <br />from west part of campus to Spring Creek, Several regional detention ponds were also <br />constructed, Suffice it to say that none of this helped much during the flood of 1997 <br />because the flood was simply too large.. <br /> <br />Another historical lesson is from the August, 1976 flash flood on the nearby Big <br />Thompson River, This flash flood killed 139 people in the space of a few hours <br />(McCain, 1979). The Big Thompson is a mountain stream with headwaters in Rocky <br />Mountain National Park near Fort CoIlins. The storm that occurred on July 31-August 1, <br />1976 was extraordinary, to say the least, and poured 6 to 10 inches of storm rainfall over <br />a wide area of the basin, The estimated peak discharge was more than four times the <br />previous maximum during 88 years of record. However, prior floods on several other <br />streams in the foothills have approximately equaled the Big Thompson experience. <br /> <br />Analysis and Conclusions <br /> <br />Although it hurt and traumatized many people, the July 28, 1997 flood in Fort Collins <br />provided valuable lessons for civil engineers, managers of government agencies, political <br />leaders, and citizens, We would like to suggest a few of the lessons and offer suggestions <br />for further research and work in these areas. <br /> <br />Complacency. The event showed that people tend to become complacent about such <br />extreme events. This flood showed that you need to plan for extreme events, especially <br />in vulnerable areas. <br /> <br />Vulnerable areas. Planners need to give special consideration to vulnerable areas, <br />perhaps going beyond economic benefit-cost data, Consideration should be given to the <br />possible need to design for events in excess of the 1 DO-year event in some areas. <br /> <br />Flood frequencies. Engineers and planners need to give careful study to flood <br />frequency. While the Fort Collins flood is called by some "a SOD-year event," <br />establishing this parameter is not at all certain. For example, flooding on the campus <br />greatly exceeded the IOO-year event. The precipitation recorded at the campus rain gage <br />was the largest 6-hour rainfall event in over 100 years of record. <br /> <br />Stress and trauma. There is evidence of great stress and emotional trauma having been <br />elicited, Research has been initiated on the emotional impacts of the flood, and it will be <br />interesting to determine if policy or procedural changes will result from the studies. <br />Without ongoing support, many survivors may experience a complicated grief reaction, <br /> <br />Importance of organizational effectiveness. The City of Fort Collins, Colorado State <br />University, and the Poudre Fire Authority responded well to the flood. Lessons they <br /> <br />18 <br />