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<br />THE ESTES PARK FLOpO
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<br />,,':"(\:0" )1l1-~. 't j!'ll,TI 'HI"
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<br />Mountain dam.giyes. way;:::.
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<br />ESTES PARK - A brimming mounLain
<br />res.et"yoiT burst its dam in Hock)' Muunt.ain
<br />National Park Thursday. funneling;J roil.
<br />ing, muddy torn-nt of watrr lhnmgh down-
<br />lown Estes Pan., dt"Stroyl.1g properly vill-
<br />ued at no million illld lravine I.lJle camper
<br />prt'5umed dt"ad and two miuing
<br />^ camper wu rrported ,wt"pt away in
<br />hi! 1I1~pin& bag, and two others bay!: not
<br />bfton locallod, according to nod., Moun-
<br />tain National Park spokesman Glen Kayt'.
<br />The tumultuous flood walen, at ';Orne
<br />points as dl"C'p as 5 (Ci.'( on thi, popular
<br />resort lown', main str~t. reduced motels
<br />to rubble and propelled a twisted parade
<br />.of mobile bomes, trucks "lid bot"dcn
<br />along . Utoroughfllrt' normally Jammed
<br />withtouri.'lls.
<br />To prevent iootinf' L1. G, ov. N,Jn(,)' Diek
<br />ordered 55 Nationa Guardsmen to patrol
<br />i':St@s Park Tbursd.lY night. A. d~-to-
<br />dolwncurlew was ordered and this nortl\lll.
<br />Iy festive community faced lhedepr....sslng
<br />task of rebuilding its busint'Ss district. .
<br />TIIF. FLOOD .....RF.AKED havoc on fo::S-
<br />tes Park, whose population is usually
<br />about 50,000 but swells 10 as many as 40,000
<br />inthe.summt'r. Miraculous4', there were
<br />no major injuries reported In the town.
<br />Abuut 3 million peuple vl!lillhe national
<br />park, Colorado's lop !.uurlst draw, every
<br />year.
<br />Authorities did nol have 3n immedilltc
<br />tlpl.1l101.tion for the dam's rllilure. But;l
<br />19501 h~tler from the !ILilte Division of Wa_
<br />ter Resourcf'S indic.1lw lhat theowl1<'f"bl
<br />Ille dam, lhe Farmer's Ditc.-h and Reser-
<br />voir Co. of Loveland, 1s liable for dam.lllge
<br />causw by its colLapse.
<br />The devastation began as Ihe sun rose
<br />ThursdilY over Lawn Lake, wbich }o';iIfln-
<br />cr's Ditch and Il.e$crvoir uses for irriga.
<br />Iioo water.
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<br />8y JIM IIANCIlIo..TJ'
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<br />U."'IO...ln...II.....TlO"..~
<br />M~n who helped secure'shops ogainst flood damage wade thJough streets.
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<br />Around 6:30a.m"the BO-year.old e<lrOl.'
<br />en d..1m gave way, sending a 3D-foot wall of
<br />watu down H03rillg River. .
<br />A thunderow; noise was the only w;un'l
<br />Ingcampersgot.
<br />The water swept into Fall Hiver, de..
<br />sfroying bridges and leaving doleDll 01
<br />campers stranded allhe Aspt.-nglen Camp
<br />"round. I
<br />The dirty brown wat(,f, churning wit!
<br />tree stumps and camping gear, hunbleo
<br />down "'.all River Canyon, parallel to U.~
<br />34. Al aboul I .a_m., il slammed inlo 1"1
<br />$Ol'U perched on the river's banks at lb
<br />west eod 01 Estes I'ark. I
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<br />;'TIIE RIVER CAME IN one w.all .r\-
<br />Wi'fll out the o(hl'r:' said Nicky Kane Jr..,
<br />NIcky's Motel.and Restaurant. _ ~
<br />. Meilnwblll'. Larimer County shenf!
<br />deputies and Estes P:nk pulice Wl'flt ~
<br />to-door in Estes "ark, ordering ~~~J
<br />evacuate. Some were reluctant to 1eave
<br />"We were standing In thestrt'i't, yeiii~
<br />atlbedummiestogctoutoflbe~,"Sh'
<br />iff Jim Black 5<lid. "They 5<lW Ole cf
<br />fJoatlllg toward them and then tllev dee'
<br />ed to movl'." . ill
<br />At 8:150 a.m., the ttX-r~nt, now up to~
<br />feoel dl'f'p, swept down Elkborn Averi
<br />(-;stes Park's hOnky.tonk, main stfll'
<br />whkh IS hned WIth small stores.
<br />Cars and tl'\lcks Ilo'Cre whISked down
<br />streN until they slammed into teleph
<br />pol~ A prop4ne tank bobbed bY,ilst
<br />half of 11 mobile home owned by'"
<br />Blain. J
<br />"I watched it from up on tbe rocks,
<br />5<lld...1t looked just Illte thl' 'Luve 80;:
<br />BY 9:io A.M., TilE floOd water:J
<br />filling Lake lo:stes at the I'astern ed!
<br />thedty.AlIth<llprellt'oted,lmotherd,
<br />terous. Dig Thomf'!lOn Canyon flood, I
<br />as the 001' that killed 139 people in.'
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<br />Pho'to wa\ taken about the t.me the llood~olers ere
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<br />Muddy water churns through Estes Pork at the intersection of ElkharT! ond 'Morcine avenues.
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