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<br />LESSONS of RECOVERY' A REViEW of Tin 1997 COlORAdo Flood DisASTER <br /> <br />LOCAL RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ACTIVITIES <br /> <br />~ ~~~-~ ~ -~ .~.<~--- -~ ~ ~~ - ""~ '>>-~"~~"--~~-~","'."~~~.~ -'" -'.~ ~-~---",.:~.~=-.,~-,-~"~,~,,~~ ~- ~" <br /> <br />Fort Collins and Larimer County I <br /> <br />Response <br /> <br />The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Fort Collins area at 9:40 p,m. on July <br />28, 1997. As rainfall occasionally reached unbelievable rates of six inches per hour in some parts of <br />southwest Fort Collins, residents of the two trailer parks on College Avenue were unaware that heavy <br />runoff into Spring Creek was ponding in a <br />large detention area behind the railroad <br />embankment immediately upstream (more <br />than 10 inches of rain ultimately fell in Spring <br />Creek basin). Without warning, floodwaters <br />overtopped the tracks at approximately 11 :00 <br />p.m, and swept into the mobile home park. <br /> <br />In less than five minutes, floodwaters rose six <br />to eight feet and submerged or trapped 160 <br />mobile home residents. The sudden breach of <br />the railroad embankment and the failure of a <br />compacted dirt plug in a culvert under the <br />embankment contributed to the velocity of the <br />flows. The force of the floodwaters derailed <br />four cars of a Burlington Northern train <br />adjacent to the trailer parks and broke gas <br />lines, resulting in several explosions as rescue <br />efforts were underway. <br /> <br /> <br />(Photo by John Weaver) <br /> <br />The death toll undoubtedly would have been much higher if not for the extraordinary efforts of firefighters and <br />other rescue personnel. Over the course of the long evening, firefighters from Poudre Fire Authority and <br />mutual aid agencies used safety lines and boats to rescue 362 people from the fast-moving waters. Floating <br />mobile homes, live electrical wires, propane tanks, automobiles, and other hazards made the job even more <br />treacherous. It was after 2;00 a.m. on July 29 when the last rescue was made. Poudre Fire Authority received <br />substantial support with life-saving efforts from the Larimer County Dive Rescue Team, Union Colony Fire <br />Protection Authority, Fort Collins Police Department, Greeley Police Department, Colorado State <br />Patrol, and dive teams from Loveland, Greeley, Estes Park and Longmont. <br /> <br />On the CSU campus, where floodwaters significantly exceeded the estimated 100-year water levels, facilities <br />operations personnel pumped millions of gallons of water out of buildings and assessed the degree of damage <br />to campus facilities and utilities. The CSU Police Department was forced to relocate to city hall after their <br />building was flooded. University officials immediately announced their intentions to begin the fall semester on <br />schedule, a goal that was ultimately met. <br /> <br />The American Red Cross established a shelter at Rocky Mountain High School for displaced flood victims and <br />set up a service center at Christ United Methodist Church, The volunteer agency also set up the American Red <br />Cross Disaster Operations Center at the Centennial Chapter headquarters. <br /> <br />ColORAdo OffiCE of EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />10 <br />