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City of Rifle Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan vehicles, a motorcycle, two trailers and some farm equipment were destroyed. In many places city streets were covered with mud and debris. One woman's home filled with water so quickly that she was forced to take refuge on the kitchen counter, where fire personnel found her. Her home was moved approximately 30 feet by the force of the water. One man's truck was washed downstream, finally coming to a stop nearly a mile away. Some yards were filled with up to four feet of mud and rock. The railroad yard at the southern end of town was immersed in water. Fortunately, the only known casualties were some five-week old kittens. Most of the homes that were damaged were 10- Flooded Southern Ptu:ifie Roil Yard cated in the 100-year floodplain. However, few had flood insurance. There are 45 structures located in the floodplain, but only 12 flood insur- ance policies are currently in force. Most home- owners insurance policies will not cover damages caused by flooding. As a result several people are now faced with tremendous financial difficulties. The flash flood caused most of this damage in a short period of time, and the damage would cer- tainly have been far greater had the storm con- tinued. Damage Assessment Damage assessment was completed by officials from the City of Rifle and the State of Colorado's Office of Emergency Management. Post-flood Assistance The American Red Cross and the organization "Lift Up", a local (Garfield County) all-volunteer group dedicated to helping those in need, pro- vided assistance to citizens deprived of basic needs. The American Red Cross helped people whose own friends or families did not possess the re- sources to help them. They provided temporary shelter to two families, a few weeks worth of food to one family and clothing to at least two families. "Lift Up" provided groceries to several families who were displaced by the flood and assisted with clean-up efforts. Additionally, they pro- vided some furnishings and paid the first month's rent for one woman whose house was completely destroyed. The Salvation Army provided assistance to one family, giving them cleaning supplies, and iden- tified several unmet needs within the commu- nity. Additionally, several men from the Mennonite Church in Glenwood Springs assisted with debris removal. The Rifle Correctional Center provided man- power to the community for three days. Seven inmates, supervised by one corrections officer, filled 2,000 sandbags in anticipation of further flooding. They also helped remove mud and de- bris from yards, homes and businesses. 3