FLOOD05639 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

11i What People Did During the Big Thompson Flood* The Larimer County Sheriff's Depar'tment and several canyon residents estimate that more than 2500 people were in the Big Thompson Canyon the night of the flood, July 31,1976. These included 600 full- time residents, approximately 1200 part-.time residents, and many tourists. One hundred thirty-nine people died in the flood and several are still missing. The purpose of this study is to an,~lyze the behavior patterns which were adopted at the time of the flood, and to apply that knowledge to the improvement of warning system design for Front Range communities vulnerable to flash flooding. Comparisons are made between the actions Of the survivors and non-survivors and the warned Oind non-warned popu- lations. Variables which influenced the! choice of action are E!xamined. These variables include location prior to the flood, action taken, group context, location in the canyon, kind of warning re!ceived (if clny) , and number of people in a group. Warning characteristics such as source, mode, number and content are also discussed. Information was obtained through informal interviews with canyon residents, county officials, relief agency personnel and out-of-state residents who were visiting the canyon at the time of the flood. Additional information was available in newspaper Oiccounts, government agency reports and in literature on flash floods and warning sjlstems. The results indicate that climbing the canyon wall was the best action to have adopted, and that doing nothing different or taking no action at all were the worst in terms of survival chances, Those who were driving alone through the canyon ran the highest rjisk. * Research 'for this paper was funded by DenVE!r Urban Dra'inage and Flood Control District. The viewpo'int of this study is th;~t of the author and does not reflect the opinion of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.