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<br />Flood War~i~o a~d Forecasti~o Services <br />The Natio~al Ocea~ic a~d At~ospheric Administ"atio~ <br />(NOAA) Weather Service provides ~o specific flood forecast. i~ the <br />Colorado Spri~gs area for tributary stre~s of the Arka~sas River. <br />ihe tech~ology or accurate river e~d floed forecasti~g is depe~dent <br />upo~ adeqUate and ti~ely rainfall a~d river stage data, and it io <br />eve~ more essential that .uch basic data be available, particularly <br />rainfall reports, for areas .ubject to flash flooding. Current <br />fundi~g restraints prevent Weather Sarvice operation of the rela- <br />tively de~se net~orks required. At present, the pri~cipal service <br />tho Weather Service ca~ provide is a ge~eral alert to tho da~gor of <br />flaoh floodi~9. This ie do~e by mea~S of forecasts of approaching <br />.torm systeme or radar detection of immi~ent or occ~rring heavy <br />rai~foll. The area is within the effective r~nge of the WSR-57 <br />radar i~sta11ation at Limon, Colorado. This facility, \With WBflR_58 <br />(rad~r facsimile) romot~d to the Weather Service Offices at Oe~ver <br />and P~eblo. provides continuous surveillance and informatio~ on pre- <br />cipitation into~sity, storm location, and ~o5sible flooh floading. <br />The ~8flR~G8 is al.o sCheduled for Colorado Springs. <br />The NOAA Weather Service Office located ~t Colorado <br />Springs (Peterson field) supplies ~e~thsr forecasts four times <br />deily for ColoradO Springo and vicinity. Th~"e forcc~ata aro dis- <br />seminated diroctly to local ne\Ws media by limited access telephQ~e. <br />In addition to the routine fQroca5t~. special forecasts of severe <br />storms or flood ~arni~gs are issued as required. <br />A community flash flood reporting natwork of riv~r ~"d <br />rainfall ~tations and a flood ~arning program developed and apsrated <br />i~ connection \With the 24_haur Weather Servico facilities could <br />~.inimize 10'5 of life and movabla property in th~ ..v.mt of " m~jor <br />flood. Such an errangema~t would recc.ire that local river dnd rain- <br />fall reports be communicated promptly by re5pon6ible local officials <br />to the ~eather S~rvic~ forec~st Office for evaluation and analysiS. <br /> <br />Ir avail~ble. this d~ta and analysis ~ould be used by the ~Bather <br />Service to mOre accurately farewar~ com~u~ity representatives of <br />potential storm ~~d flnnrl ~nnrlitio~~. <br /> <br />Flood fiohtino and E~ercency Evacu~tion Pl~ns <br />Provision. fcr alerting area re.idents and coordinatin; <br />operations of aity and county pu~lic service agencies i~ a time of <br />emergency are presently dacume~ted in the "Caloredo Springs/El Paso <br />County Evacuation-Operations Plan (january 1957)." ihe plan's con- <br />cept of operations ce115 far dis~e"'in"tio~ of "heavy r~in ~arnj,ngs" <br />duri~g the earliest staqes of a flOOd thre~t. Subsequent flood <br />fighting. ~vacuation, arid rescue activities are coordinated an a <br />c~ntywide b~sis by the Civil Defen~a Control Center which Can re_ <br />quost Stat~ or federal assistance should the combined city-county <br />resauroee prove inadequate. <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />" <br />