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LESSONS of RECOVERY - A REViEW of TIlE 1 997 COLORAdo Flood DisASTER Pawnee Creek Storm Pawnee Creek is a South Platte River tributary that drains a large watershed area -- approximately 700 square miles - and ranges in elevation from approximately 5,400 feet down to 4,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation for the basin ranges from 14 to 16 inches (Riverside Technology, inc. [Rti], 1998). The same system of thunderstorms that caused flooding in Weldona moved eastward across Logan County and produced very heavy rainfall in the Pawnee watershed. According to the National Weather Service, up to 14 inches of rain fell in the Pawnee basin in just a nine-hour period. Although much of the rain fell to the west over Weld County, the runoff in the large watershed mainly affected downstream areas within Logan County. I I f Flood Impacts I In addition to Spring Creek, several other drainages were flooded, including West Vine drainage basin, CSU drainage basin, and the Old Town and Canal Importation basin. Countywide, the flooding killed five people, injured 100 people, destroyed 135 homes, damaged more than 2,000 homes, closed 90 businesses at least temporarily, damaged 600 businesses, and resulted in at least 80 people losing their jobs. At CSU, where over $100 million in property damage occurred, approximately 280 staff members lost their offices and contents, which in many cases involved the loss of years of unrecoverable files and research materials. Larimer County l li The heavy thunderstorm-generated rains of July 28, 1997 caused serious flooding in several areas of Larimer County. In Fort Collins, five women perished as floodwaters swept through two mobile home parks north of Spring Creek and west of COllege Avenue. Many homes and businesses in other areas of the city and in unincorporated Larimer County suffered major flood damage. Public safety and emergency response personnel were nearly overwhelmed as rainfall intensified into the evening and as the magnitude of flood impacts grew. Hundreds of rescues were made in and around Fort Collins, including heroic life-saving efforts at the trailer parks on Spring Creek. If not for the extraordinary actions of local fire and law enforcement agencies, the death toll undoubtedly would have been much higher. Fort Collins Destroyed mobile homes slm:ked up near Spring Creek in F on Collins (photo by John Weaver) The flood, estimated to be in excess of 500-year flood levels in some drainages, left a path of destruction in the central part of the city. The Johnson Center and South College mobile home parks were totally destroyed as nearly 400 people were rescued from windows and rooftops and from stranded vehicles in the area. According to the American Red Cross, 120 mobile homes were destroyed and another 2,000 homes received some level of flood damage. Many areas along Spring Creek were flooded, as well as Old Town Fort Collins, Poudre School District facilities and the CSU campus. Including estimates of damage at CSU, the total cost of the 1997 flood in Fort Collins may exceed $200 million (City of Fort Collins, 1998a). COLORAdo OffiCE of EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 3