Laserfiche WebLink
<br />-Weather <br /> <br />Fort Collins Coloradoan 5 <br /> <br />August. 1976 <br /> <br />FROMPAGEol <br />cloud ....'h.lch stretched from Virginia <br />Dale to as far south as the eye could <br />see. The cloud caused a "premature <br />sunset" by 7 p.m. as an ominous <br />thick anvU spread out the thun- <br />derstorm's top over the mountains <br />and plains. Continuous lightning and <br />deep peals of thunder rolling In the <br />foothills made It appear as if a ute <br />and death battle were taking place <br />to the west. The Blg Thompson <br />Canyon!lood \\'nS Imminent, but now <br />the meteorological focus of attention <br />began to shirt northward. <br />"We urge people in the Poudre <br />Canyon. Rlsl Canyon, Soldier <br />OuJyon and the Poudre F700d plain <br />including Laporte, Bel1vue and new <br />subdivisIons nelll" river to expect <br />hea vy rain and llkeJy flooding <br />between IIOW and mid. <br />night . . . Please Wee precautions <br />lor at JeJiSt next 4 hours . . . Please <br />be vel)' carelul next 4 hours this is a <br />danproos situation." 10: 10 p.m. 31 <br />July, 1976 John Henz <br /> <br />'Ham' <br /> <br />operators had disciplined <br /> <br />'net' <br /> <br />d1saster It's practically Impossible <br />to track anyone down. <br />"There's always the concern of <br />verified information being wrong." <br />Gla.sasa.id. "It can happen." <br />Although telephone calls were <br />vtrtually Impossible because <br />circuits were jammed with <br />outgoing and Incoming caUs <br />relate<! to the flood, speclallzed <br />equipment allowing direct <br />touchtone diallng to the Denver <br />telephone exchange was set up by a <br />group of hams from Denver. <br />There were ~200 ~Io~ <br />Ham radio volunteers and in- <br />numerable out-of.state operators <br />who assisted in communications, <br />said Glass. <br /> <br />Three separate stations were set <br />up at Love4U1d High School by the <br />Harnoperators. One to relay health <br />and weUare messages to Estes <br />Park and back, one to handle <br />inquiries from out-of-state <br />operators about the safety 01 <br />possible flood victims and another <br />station for coordinating services <br />between the command post, <br />helicopter pads and indlvtduals in <br />the field. <br /> <br />~~e~es~d~~"="o~ <br /> <br />said Glass, Is the inquJt1es from the <br />concerned people "all over" who <br />want to know If their friends and <br />relatives are safe. <br />"This Is because in a full scale <br /> <br />(July 31) that back-up com- <br />munications might be needed, <br />Ham radio operators prepared for <br />the long tough job before them. <br />"No one was tully prepared <br />(operators) and no one wants to <br />praCtice for something lJke thl..!I," <br />Glass said. <br /> <br />"For Hams that live in a dtsaster <br />area such as a tornado or <br />hurricane area, It Is a very tra.b1ed <br />thlng because it happens so often, " <br />he went on. "None of us ever <br />worked as a team before but It was <br />a very dtscipUned, professional, <br />teamllke net. " <br /> <br />~Iorado State Patrol Captain <br />B1U Thomas expressed earlJer that <br /> <br />"they're (the Hams) some of the <br />most professional and dJsclplined <br />people I've ever worked with." <br /> <br />Four functions the radio <br />operators provided in the flood <br />disaster were setting up a com- <br />mand post, emergency medical <br />commW1lcations, communications <br />for the Red Cross and Interstate <br />and International communication. <br /> <br />One of many networks, con- <br />sIsting 01 stations located at the <br />Fort Collins Sheriff's Offlce, the <br />command post, the McKee Medical <br />Center, two heliports west of town <br />and the I..oveland High School, <br />allowed intercommunication <br />without Interference. <br /> <br />By IoIARYTUMOSA <br />Of the 00I0rad00n <br /> <br />Although there Is mUe physical <br />labor involved, a Ham radio <br />operator's job in disaster situations <br />Is exhausting. <br /> <br />Comparing It to an overloaded <br />pollee dispatcher, Clyde Glass, <br />command net manager for the Btg <br />Thompson flood's Ham radio <br />operators, saJd, "It's a full.time <br />job,-you have to pay attention." <br /> <br />"It's such an occupying thing, <br />you don't get much c.hance to let <br />emotions get to you," he saJd. <br />Alerted by the Loveland Police <br />DeplU"tment late Saturday night <br /> <br />-Flood destroyed all <br /> <br />its path <br /> <br />. <br />In <br /> <br />NEAR 10 p.m. the huge kUler <br />thunderstonn system over Hague's <br />Peak began to move northwestward <br />with the upper air disturbance <br />toward the Cache la Poudri! River's <br />canyon. Pt10r to 10 p.m. ~ to 1~ <br />inches of rain had fallen In the <br />foothills and been welcomed by local <br />residents. However, between 10 p.m. <br />and mJdnlght, H Inches. of rain fell <br />Into small streams feeding the <br />Poudre. By midnight the Poudn! <br />Canyon. RIst Canyon and Soldier's <br />Canyon had been transfonned into <br />raging torrents. The rainfall over <br />the Poudre was just as Intense as <br />over the Big Thompson. The thun- <br />denrtonn S)'1Item sWI towered to <br />over60,oo:I feet. Between 11 p.m. and <br />midnight % to 11Jt inches of rain had <br />lallen over Fort Collins and nor- <br />theastern Larimer County as the <br />heavy thunderstonn system headed <br />oorth. <br />By midnight the thunderstorm <br />s)'1ltem had lost Its source of moist <br />l.IJ\!rtable plalns alt as night-time <br />cooled the alt. Tremendous amounts <br />of rain-rooled air filled the lower <br />atmosphere choking the thun. <br />derstorm from below. Ughtenlng <br />that was almost continuous prior to <br />rmdnlght became occasional by 2 <br />a.m. <br />"Radar indicates the heavy <br />thunderstorm actJvity over northern <br />Larimer County Is rapidly <br />dlsslpating. The heavy rains are <br />over, though flood1ng problems will <br />continue in dmmstream areas of Big <br />1llompson and Poudre into the <br />moming hours..... 3:35 a.m. 1 <br />August,1916John Henz <br />'IHE FLOODS of the BIg Thomp- <br />son and Cache la Poudre Mvers wt're <br />history by ~ a.m. Aug. 1. <br />RAtnbucket surveys cQ1lducted by <br />v8.r\0'U'S teoeral agenc\es'md1ca\ed a <br />peak point ralnfall of 14 inches <br />northwest 01 the Glen Haven area. <br />The peak ra1nlall area for Big <br />1bompson flood was located In an <br />area bounded by Storm Peak on <br />north, Glen Haven on east, Krut'ger <br />Peak on south and Mummy <br />Mountain on the west. The Cache La. <br />Poudre flood was fed by peak ra1n <br />fall bounded by Storm Peak on <br />9OUth, Chambers Lake on west, Bald <br />Mountain on the north and Rist <br />Canyon on the south. <br />Rainfall estimates continue to be <br />made. and accurate peak ralnlall <br />rates may never be dt'termlne4. <br />Some local rainfall totals for the <br />storm Included 7.40 inches In Rist <br />Canyon; 1.10 inches in Bighorn <br />Qu1yon (Sat. only); em Foothills <br />Campus, lA{) inches: Poudte Park <br />3.. inches and .33-U inches In Fort <br />Collins: I..oveland .12 inches; and <br />Horsetooth Heights, 2.1 In~hes. <br />Clearly a distinct east-ta-west <br />gradient In the rainfall existed. ThIs <br />fact emphasizes the importance of <br />the local terrain 10 "locking" the <br />thunderst9nt'1S into the foolhllJs. <br /> <br />SOOLARITIES between these <br />weekend floods and the Rapid City <br />Flooded June 9, 1912, are striking. In <br />both cases a statIQnary frontal <br />system helped to tunnel tropical <br />moisture into a mountainous area, a <br />large, almost stationary thun- <br />derstonn system produced the flood <br />waters, and wtnd speeds were very <br />high below mountain top levels and <br />very light above mountain level. <br />Both floods affected areas of high <br />tourist density and occurred be- <br />tween 9 p.m. and midnight after <br />earlier heavy mountain rains of <br />peak rainlall near 14 Inches. Most of <br />the rain fell In a 4 hoorpeModorless. <br />The Rapid City Flood kUled 237 <br />persons with 5 presumed missing <br />and dead. A total of 2,932 persons <br />were Injured and flood damage <br />exceeded $100 m1lllon. The Big <br />Thompson Flood has killed over 100 <br />persons to this date though it may <br />approach 200 ....1th many persons still <br />recorded as missing. Damage <br />t'sUmates currently exceed $28 <br />mlllton. A similar but less <br />devastating flash flood oceurred <br />near Red Feather Campground on <br />July 19, 1973. Peak raJnlalJ reached <br />6.t2 Inches in 4 hours at Red <br />l'bi~I"6. Flx't"C$J}J."JS ~J\'ed only <br />0.48 of an inch do....-ntown and 2.20 <br />1nchf's at CSU Foothills campus. <br />OteyeMe, Wyo. recorded 3.t2inches <br />in 24 hours, the second highest on <br />record, with 2.12lnches falling In a3- <br />hour morning IX'riod on the 19th. <br />Clearly the occurn:nce of thun- <br />derstorm flash flooding Isn't a rare <br />event along the Front Range of <br />RockJe-s from Canada to New <br />Mexico. However, the location is <br />\L<roally very Isolated In nature. As a <br />result the chances of anyone canyon <br />flooding are remote, but certalnly <br />notimFlbJe. <br /> <br />Within the short time before dark, <br />they brought 80 to 100 people into <br />I.iJveland <br />The number of confinned dead <br />rose to 69. <br /> <br />nJESDAY, AUG. 3 <br />Today the sun rose into a crystal <br />clear sky over LartmerCounty. <br />In Loveland the first of many <br />meetings was held to brief l<<?Cat <br />officials on state and federal ald <br />available to Individuals to help them <br />reeover from the flood. <br />ChaIred by Lamm, the meeting <br />moved quickly. OffIcials said <br />representatives of several agencies <br />already were busy in the canyon <br />surveying damage. <br />Dwight Bower of the state high- <br />way department, said road crews <br />were starting on a pioneer road that <br />would be completed between the <br />Narrows and Estes Park. by the <br />weekend. HIs bolli, State ft1ghway <br />DIrector Jack K1nsUinger, said the <br />permanent road would be rebuilt <br />"pretty much along the same path.. <br />and be opehed in about one year. <br />Hal York of the EnviroMlental <br />Protection Agency said a broken <br />sewer line in Estes Park had been <br />temporarily repaired 80 raw sewage <br />was not pourtng Into the river. <br />Another official said I..oveland <br />water was sale. <br />Watson was able to report that <br />rescue crews apparentiy had done a <br />better job on Sunday than realized at <br />the time. As 01 th1a moming, he said, <br />"Just about everyone Is out that <br />wants to come out." <br />Bt'twee.n a 100 and 125 people, he <br />estimated, were staying in the <br />canyon of thelrown volItion. <br />Yeargan announced at the com- <br />mand post that he was pulling his <br />las1. .contingent of troops out of the <br />canyon and from now on would <br />only provide helicopter support for <br />the sheriff. <br />Body recovery and security <br />became the main focus of the <br />shertff'seftort. <br />At the morgue, officials received <br />retrlgerated truck trailers In which <br />to store bodies too battered to retain <br />embalming fluid. <br />The number of bodies retrieved <br />was 72 by the end of the day. <br /> <br />WEDNESDAY,AUG.. <br />At 10 a.m. disaster relief centers <br />opened in Lovt'land, Estes Park and <br />Fort Collins. Representatives of all <br />federal and state agencies which <br />could provide short- and long-term <br />aid for individuals were located in <br />each center. <br />Lamm signed two executive or- <br />ders authorizing road and cleanup <br />crews to enter private property <br />without followtng normal legal <br />procedure In order to accomplish <br />work_ <br />Watson announced that specially <br />trained dogs and mechan1ca1, hand- <br />held "sniffers" were being used in <br />the search for bodies. <br />He said Infrared cameras, once <br /> <br />used In Vietnam, .....ere being UBed to <br />locate anybody who might sUIl be <br />allve under the rubble. <br />Officers stationed in the canyon to <br />provide secur1ty for undamaged <br />homes were beg1nn1ng to have <br />problems because so many people <br />were returning to the area from all <br />direc:tions. But Watson said there <br />was no serious looting problem. <br />In Denver the first funeral for a <br />flood victim, Highway Patrol <br />veteran Purdy, was held. <br />The body count was 7.. <br /> <br />service lor victims of the flood at the <br />FIrst United Presbyterian Chruch in <br />Fort ColUns. <br />A team of federal and state of. <br />t1clals also flew into Cedar Cove and <br />Drake Sunday to meet with in- <br />dividuals elJglble for assistance who <br />had not visited the relief centers. <br />On Monday two out-of-state firms <br />began the job of clearing debris <br />under contract8 with the U.S. Corpa <br />of Engineers. Work began In the <br />vtcin1ty of the Big Thompson schooL <br />That evening the Estes Park <br />individual relief center closed <br />pennanently. Phone service to <br />Allenspark also was restored on this <br />day. <br />1be job 01 dismantling emergency <br />operations continued on Thesday <br />with the shutdown 01 the command <br />p:JStatthe NCWCO. <br />Larimer County Commissioners <br />adopted temporary flood-way <br />zonlng , <br />Watson also announced that <br />becaUBe of the lack of manpower he <br />would IlmJt the search for bodies in <br />the future to spotters accompanying <br />the cleanup crews. <br /> <br />7:30 p.m. Sunday nlght over FDAA <br />conununJcation equipment. <br />In I.iJveland, residents and of- <br />t1clals alike were plagued by <br />mt.s1nfonnation. Residents were <br />~elv1ng conflicting reports on <br />whether they should boll thetr water <br />because of damage to the city's <br />water supply system. <br />OffIcials were contending with <br />, periodic false reports that the river <br />WlUl rising again and various <br />reservoirs were collapsing. ThJs <br />caused repeated, unnecessary <br />evacuation of homes along the river. <br />But the re9Cue operation ran <br />smoothly as helicopters ferrted <br />rescuenl into the canyon and sur- <br />vivors out. Leaflets were dropped <br />telling people to organize self-help <br />teamsandto state their condition by <br />use of a code of large letters laid out <br />on the ground. <br />All trapped survivors with serious <br />problems were evacuated by the end <br />of the day. In total, between 000 and <br />IlOO people were brought In on <br />Sunday. ' <br />About 80 of these went to the <br />McKee Medical Center for treat. <br />ment but only ftve were admitted. <br />Another three were admitted to <br />Poudre Valley Memorial Hospital. <br />As the evening approached, <br />rescuers were dropped Into the <br />canyon to organize survivors, who <br />coold not be brought out before <br />sundown, so they could make It <br />through the nlght. <br />Body recovery was a low priority. <br />It proceeded almost exclusively on <br />the pla1ns below the canyvn. 'sUI, by <br />the end of the day 40 bodies had been <br />recovered. <br />The first body was Identified. Sgt. <br />Purdy of the state patrol. <br /> <br />MONDAY, AUG. 2 <br />1be sun rose Into a haze of mist <br />and rain that hugged I.iJveland and <br />the mountains. <br /> <br />FROM PAGE S <br />Street in I.iJveland with a spotlight <br />for about one and one.half hours. <br />Then he stopped until daylight. <br />About mid-morning Watson talked <br />to Gov. Richard Lamm to expla1n <br />the situation and ask for assistance. <br />Very early the sheriff's office <br />contacted the Kibbey-Fishburn <br />FUneral Home and told them to get <br />ready. <br />, By " a.m. Ralph Morgan, the <br />laboratory technician In the sheriff's <br />offlce, was on his way to Kibbey to <br />prepare for ldentitlcation work. <br />As dawn approached, officials <br />prepared to assess the lull1mpact of <br />the disaster. Untll then, even those <br />most intimately Involved ~ only a <br />partlaI picture of the destruction. <br />The search and rescue operation <br />also began to click as the sun rose. <br />Early in the morning, the com-' <br />mand post moved to the NCWCD <br />oftIces at the corner 01 U.S. 340 and <br />'Wilson Avenue. Military hel1copters <br />started arriving along with the first <br />contingent of what would eventually <br />be 150 National Guard troops. A total <br />01 about liOO off1clals and volunteers <br />would be Involved in the. operation <br />at Its peak along wtth almost 20 <br />helicopters. <br />About 7 a.m. Gary Mowrey, the <br />d.1rector of the ambulance service at <br />Poudre Valley Memortal H08pital1n <br />Fort CoIUns, was contacted by the <br />sheriffs office and asked to bring a <br />couple of ambulances to I..oveland. <br />Once there, Watson asked for <br />more medical support, and a trtage <br />team of docton Md nurses were <br />called. They joined medical per. <br />sonnel and ambulances from other <br />places at the helicopter landing sites <br />to evaluate the condition of <br />evacuees. <br />At Kibbey, Fred Fishburn called <br />Dr_ Robert Schmidt, the Larimer <br />O:lunty coroner, about 7 a.m. By late <br />morning the old I.iJveland Memorial <br />Hospital was being opened as <br />temporary morgue. <br /> <br />THURSDAY, AUG. G <br />The first ffit'eting just to review <br />the procedure lor public facility aid <br />was held In I..oveland. <br />Lamm signed an executive order <br />authorUlng cleanup and road- <br />building crews to remove pt1vate <br />property that was damaged and;or <br />posed a publJc hazard. <br />The refugee center at I.iJveland <br />HIgh School closed after the flow of <br />flood vicUms slowed to a trickle. <br />'fhe number of bodies retrieved <br />was 76. <br /> <br />FRIDAY, AUG. 8 <br />Lamm c.ha..Ired another meeting <br />with federal, state and local of- <br />ficials. TIlts one was smaller than <br />the ftrst and concluded with the <br />LarImer County commissioners <br />Indicating that they were research- <br />tng their authority to estabUsh a six- <br />month moratorium on most <br />rebuilding In the canyon. <br />Don Barnett, the mayor of Rapid <br />City, S.D. durtng the 1972 flood in <br />which 239 people were kUled, also <br />attended the meeting. He assured <br />the offidals that the community <br />could recover from the flood with a <br />united effort. <br />Watson announced the establish- <br />ment of substations in the canyon at <br />Cedar Cove, Drake and Glen Haven <br />to provide secuMty and assistance <br />for the residents and crews working <br />there. <br />The sheriff also announced the <br />use 01 divers to enter submerged <br />vehlcles and houses. <br />The day ended with the crash of <br />an Ag helicopter in the canyon. <br />There were no injuries and only <br />minor damages. The crash oc. <br />curred as the craIt was lifting off <br />aner taking on a body. <br />By the end of the day the total <br />number of bodJes recovered had <br />rlsento19. <br /> <br />BY WEDNESDAY the first of 36 <br />mobUe homes, that would be used by <br />the U.S. Department of Housing and <br />Urban Development to house some <br />of the survivors of the flood an1ved <br />in Loveland. They were located at <br />the Columbine Trailer Park. <br />The last remaining indivtdual <br />relief center, the one located In <br />I..oveland, was closed at the end of <br />its operation on Thursday. <br />The ftrst meeting of residents and <br />property owners of the BIg <br />Thompson Canyon was held <br />Saturday In I.iJveland. About 300 <br />people attended the meeting called <br />by Raymon Hayden, a resident of <br />Johnstown and owner of the Flying <br />YRanch at Drake. <br />Public officials answered <br />questions about the county's in- <br />tentions on future zoning of the <br />canyon and sald officers would <br />continue to provide security in the <br />canyon. <br />People attending the meeting also <br />elected representatives based on <br />geographical areas of the canyon to <br />keep up with recovery work. <br />At the end of the week the otflclal <br />death toll reached HH. <br /> <br />m WASHINGTON the letters <br />from Lamm and Eddy were hand. <br />carried to the Whfte House. Before <br />the morning was gone, LarImer <br />County would be an official disaster <br />""",, <br />Forworkers In the command po8\: <br />at the NCWCD as well as famJlies <br />and Irlends of the hundreds of <br />missing people, this was possibly <br />the toughest day of all alter the <br />lnitlalflood. <br />No one kilew for sure how many <br />people were still stranded in the <br />canyon, yet because of the weather, <br />the workhorses of the rescue <br />operation, the helicopters, couldn't <br />fly. <br />The sheriff and other offlc1all <br />busied themselves organ1z1n( <br />ground rescue efforts. A four-.....heel. <br />drive rescue drive into Drake over <br />Pole Hill Mount&Jn and a pack horse <br />trip into the main branch of the <br />canyon were arranged. <br />Itwasnotuntlllate In the day that <br />the weather broke, giving the <br />helicopters a chance to go to work. <br /> <br />1HE WHEELS that would bring <br />state and federal diBaster aid to the <br />canyon area also were set Into <br />motion that mornIng. <br />About 8 a.m, FDAA officials In <br />Denver alerted their Washington, <br />D.C. headquarters to a possible <br />disaster, even though regional 01- <br />flclals st1ll were pretty much in the <br />dark at that time. An FOAA <br />representative was sent to the scene <br />to evaluate the situation. <br />Early in the morning Lamm <br />arrived at the command' post with <br />the head of the state patrol and the <br />National Guard commander. They <br />took a helicopter flight over the <br />canyon and met with local off1c1als. <br />By afternoon the governor and <br />Eddy were meeting to prepare a <br />request asking the President to <br />declare Larimer County a disaster <br />""",, <br />Lamm's letter, along with a <br />supportIng letter from Eddy, were <br />transmitted to Washington about <br /> <br />WEEK OF AUG.1~21 <br />In the third week following the <br />flood, recovery work continued at an <br />Increasing pace. <br />By the end of the week the U.S. <br />Corps of Engineers had Issued Its <br />Itnal contract for debris clearance. <br />TIle cleanup contracts totaled <br />$406,IS70 for removal of an estimated <br />121,00:1 cubic yards of debris in the <br />c.anyoo and on the plains below. <br />By midweek, with more than hall <br />a dozen crews worldng In the <br />canyon, the hlghway department <br />had managed to establlsh a pioneer <br />road between Estes Park and Drake <br />through the north fork of the Big <br />'nlompson canyon. <br />Work was still proceeding to <br />COl'l11ect Drake wtth Estes Park <br />through the main canyon and with <br />the end of the. paved road at the <br />entrance to the Narrows. <br />Meetings also continued this week <br />with federal, state and county of- <br />ficials reviewing in more detail aid <br />available to the county. <br />Late in the week the d(~th <br />toll stood at 117. <br /> <br />SA'nJRDAY, AUG. 7 <br />Long distance telephone service <br />was reestablLshed to Estes Park th1s <br />morning. Most of the servtce to <br />Estes PrIor to the July 31 flood was <br />provided by lines running up the Big <br />Thompson Canyon. <br />At the close of its operation today, <br />the dJ.saster relief center In Fort <br />CoIUns closed. <br />The death count stood at 84. <br /> <br />WEEK OF AUG. 8-14. <br />This week began with a memot1a1 <br /> <br /> <br />On the cover <br /> <br />/, 1.' <br />....' ~~ <br />'~'~ <br />",;~i,~_1:~,.N <br />I .. <br />~ , . <br /><......,,~._... - I <br />.) <br />.. <br /> <br />11le color photograph was <br />taken Thesday, Aug. 3, by Rick <br />Browne of the Denver Bureau of <br />the Associated Press. The lower <br />photo Is by Joe Novotny of the <br />Coloradoan staff and shows <br />damage to Highway 34 near the <br />mouth of Big Thompson Canyon. <br />Other photos In this edition are <br />by Novotny, Matt Jacobs and <br />Katherine Keniston - all of the <br />Coloradoan statl - Browne and <br />by outside contributors as noted. <br /> <br />A~ir~~P€R <br />F~1~~:=='nc. <br />PO_8llll1S71 <br />T~:m~..."., <br />_ol~_ialed~ <br />CGIore<klPn!uAsso:i.'W;1n.AudU <br />SuruIlolCir<vloll__ <br />