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-Weather FROM PAGE. cloud which stretched from Vtrgtnla Dale to as far south as the eye could see. The cloud caused a "premature sunset" by 7 p.m. as an ominous Utlck anvtl spread out the thun. derstorm's top over the mountains and plains. ConttnuOllslIghtnlng and deep peals of thunder rolling in the foothills made It appear as if a ute and death batue were taking place to the west. The Big Thompson Canvon flood was Imminent, but now the meteorological focus of attention began to shUt northward. "We urge people in the Poudre Canyon. Risl Canyon. Soldier canyon and the Poudre Flood plain including LaJX'rte. Bellvue and new subdivisions near river to expect heavy rain and llkely floodlng bet\40'een now and mid. night. . . Please take precauUons /or at least next 4 hours . . . Please be very carelul next 4 hours this is a dangerous situaUon." 10:10 p.m. 31 July, 1976John Henz NEAR 10 p.m. the huge kUler thunderstorm system over Hague's Peak began to move northwestward with the upper air disturbance toward the Cache la Poudre River's canyon. Prior to 10 p.m. ~ to 1~ inches of rain had fallen in the fooUillls and been welcomed by local residents. However, between 10 p.m. and midnight, 4-6 Inches, of rain fell Into small streams feeding the Poudre. By midnight the Poudre Canyon, Rlst Canyon and Soldier's Canyon had been transformed into raging torrents. 1lle ralnfall over the Poudre was just as intense as over the Big Thompson. The thwt- derstonn system sWI towered to over60,ooo feet. Between 11 p.m. and midnight % to 1 ~ inches of rain had tallen over Fort Cblllns and nor- theastern l.arlrner Cowlty as the heavy thunderstorm system headed , north. By midnight the thunderstorm system had lost Its source of moist unstable plains air as night-time cooled the air. Tremendous amounts of rain-cooled air filled the lower atmosphere choking the thun- derstorm from below. Ughtening that was almost continuous prtor to midnight became occasional by 2 a.m. "Radar indicates the heavy thunderstonn activity over northern Larimer County is rapidly dissipating. The hea~y rains are over, though flooding problems will continue in doW7lStream areas 0/ Big Thompson and Poudre into the morning hours.. ." 3:35 a.m. 1 August,1976JohnHenz 'IHE FLOODS of the Big Thomp- son and Cache la Poudre rivers were hJstory by IJ a.m. Aug. 1. Ralnbucket BUrveys cOllducted by vanO\D t~ra\ agendes mC>>ca\ed a peak point ra1nfall of 14 inches northwest of the Glen Haven area. 1lle peak rainfall area tor Big Thompson flood was located in an area bounded by Storm Peak on north, Glen Haven on east, Krueger Peak on south and Mummy Mountain on the west. The Cache La Poudre flood was fed by peak rain fall bounded by Storm Peak on 9OUth, Chambers Lake on west, Bald Mountain on the north and RiIIt Canyon on the south. Rainfall estimates continue to be made and accurate peak rainfall rates may never be detennlned. Some local rainfall totals for the storm included 7.40 Inches In Rist Canyon; 1.10 inches In Bighorn Canyon (Sat. only); CSU Foothills Campus, 1"'{) inches: Poudre Park 3.4 Inches and .33-1.5 inches In Fort Colllns; Loveland .12 inches; and Horsetooth Heights, 2.1 ln~hes. Clearly a distinct east-to-west gradient In the rainfall existed. This fact emphasizes the importance of the local terrain In "locking" the thunders19rms Into the foothUls. SIMILARITIES between these weekend floods and the Rapid City Flood of June 9,1972, are striking. In both cases a statlpnary frontal system helped to tunnel tropical moisture into a mountainous area, a large, almost stationary thun- derstonn system produced the flood waters, and wind speeds were very high below mountain top levels and very light above mountain level. Both floods affected areas of high tourist density and occurred be- tween 9 p.m. and midnight after earlier heavy mCRlntain rains of peak rainfall near 14 Inches. Most of the raln fell In a4 hourperiodorless. The Rapid City Flood kUled 237 persons with 5 presumed missing and dead. A total of 2,932 persons were injured and flood damage exceeded $100 million. TIle Big Thompson Flood has kUled over 100 persons to this date though it may approach 200 \\,1th many pef'SOJ\.! still recorded as missing. Damage esUmates currently exceed $28 million. A similar but less devastating flash flood occurred near Red Feather Campground on July 19, 1973. Peak raInlalJ reached 6.42 inches In 4 hours at Red ~UJt'ns. FOrt ~ receh'ed (>>111' O.411 of an irlch downtown and 2.20 inc~s at CSU Foothills campus. Cheyenne, Wyo. recorded 3.42 inches in 24 hours, the second highest on record. with 2.12lnches falling In a 3- hour morning period on the 19th. Clearly the occurrence of thun- derstorm flash flooding isn't a rare event along the Front Range of Rockies from Canada to New Mexlctl. However, the location J.s usua.IlJ very Isolated In nature. As a result the chances of anyone canyon flooding are remote, but certa.1nly not ImJmSibJe. . . - August 1976 Fort Collins Coloradoan 5 'Ham' By MARYT\JMOSA OftheOo1ora-. Although there Is little physical labor Involved, a Ham radio operator's job in disaster situations is exhausting. Comparing it to an overloaded police dispatcher, Clyde Glass, command net manager for the Big Thompson flood's Ham radio operators, said, "It's a full-time job,-you have to pay attention." "It's such an occupy1ng thlng, you don't get much chance to let emotions get to you," he saId. Alerted by the Loveland PoUce Depl\rtment late Saturday night operators had disciplined (July 31) that back-up com. munications might be needed, Ham radio operators prepared for the long tough job before them. "No one was tully prepared (operators) and no one wants to practice for something like this," Glass said. "For Hams that live in a disaster area such as a: tornado or hurricane area, it is a very tra.1ited thing because it happens so often," he went on. "None of us ever worked as a team before but It was a very dlsciplIned, professional, teamllke net." Colorado State Patrol Captain B1ll 'Thomas expressed earlier that "they're (the Hams) some of the most professional and disciplined people I've ever worked with." Four functions the radio operators provided In the flood disaster were getting up a com- mand post, emergency medical communications, communications for the Red Cross and interstate and international communication. One of many networks, con. sisting of stations located at the Fort Colllns Sher1tf's Office, the command post, the McKee Medical Center, two heliports west of town and the Loveland High School, allowed intercommunication without lnterlerence. Three separate stations were set up at Lovel~d High School by the Ham operators. One to relay health and welfare messages to Estes Park and back, one to handle Inquiries from out-of-state operators about the safety of possible flood victims and another statlon for coordinating services between the command post, helicopter pads and individuals In the field. The hardest kJnd of "traffic" to handle and taIt'e any action on, said Glass, Is the lnqutrtes from the concerned people "alJ over" who want to know tt their friends and relatives are safe. "'lbJ.s Is because in a tull scale 'net' disaster It's practically impossible to track anyone down. "There's always the concern of vertfted Information being wrong," Glass said. "It can happen." Although telephone calls were virtually Impossible because cJrcults were jammed with outgoing and IncomJng caUs relate4 to the flood, specialized equipment allowing direct touchtone d1allng to the Denver telephone exchange was set up by a group ot hams trom Denver. There were 1~200 Q))orado Ham radio volunteers and in- numerable out-of.state operators who assisted in communJcatlolUl, said Glass. Flood destroyed all FROM PAGE S Street In Loveland with a spotlight for about one and one.ha1t hours. Then he stopped until daylight. About mJd-momJng Watson talked to Gov. Richard Lamm to explain the situation and ask for assistance. Very early the sherttf's office contacted the Kibbey-Fishburn FUneral Home and told them to get ready. . By 4 a.m. Ralph Morgan, the laboratory technician in the shertff's office, was on his way to Kibbey to prepare for identltlcatlon work. As dawn approached, offlc1als prepared to assess the full impact of the disaster. Until then, even those most intimately Involved ~d only a partial picture of the destruction. The search and rescue operation also began to clJck as the sun rose. Early In the mOmlng, the com-' mand post moved to the NCWCD otf1ces at the corner 01 U.S. 34 and 'Wilson Avenue. MIlitary hel1copters started arriving along with the ftrst contingent of what would eventually be 150 NaUOnaI Guard troops. A total of about llOO officials and volunteers would be Involved in the. operation at its peak along with almost 20 helicopters. About 7 a.m. Gary Mowrey, the director of the ambulance service at Poudre Valley Memorial HospItal in Fort Colllns, was contacted by the sherlff's office and asked to bring a couple of ambulances to Loveland. Once there, Watson asked for more medical support, and a trtage team of doct.or8 Md nurses were called. They joined medlcaJ per- sonnel and ambulances from other places at the helicopter landing sites to evaluate the condition of evacuees. At Kibbey, Fred Fishburn called Dr_ Robert Schmidt, the Larlmer County coroner, about 7 a.m. By late momJng the old Loveland Memorial Hospital was being opened as temporary morgue. ' '!HE WHEELS that would bring state and federal dJ.saster ald to the canyon area also were set into moUon that momlng. About 8 a.m. FDAA offic1als in Denver alerted their Washington, D.C. he~dquarters to a possible disaster, even though regional of. f1ctab still were pretty much in the dark at that time. An FDAA representative was sent to the scene to evaluate the situation. Early in the momIng Lamm arrived at the command'post with the head of the state patrol and the National Guard commander. They took a hellcopter flight over the canyon and met with local offlc1als. By afternoon the governor and Eddy were meeting to prepare a request 8Jlk!ng the President to declare Larimer County a disaster area, Lamm's letter, along with a supporting letter from Eddy, were transmitted to Washington about 7:30 p.m. Sunday night over FnAA communication equipment. In Loveland, residents and of- flclals alike were plagued by misinformation. Residents were receiving confllctlng reports on whether they should boll their water because of damage to the city's water supply system. OffIcials were contending with . periodic (alse reports that the river was rising again and various reservoirs were collapsing. nus caused repeated, unnecessary evacuation of homes along the river. But the rescue operaUon ran smoothly as helicopters ferried rescuers Into the canyon and sur. vivors out. Leaflets were dropped telling people to organize selt-help teams and to state their conditlon by use of a code ot large letters iaJd out on the ground. All trapped survivors with serious problems were evacuated by the end ot the day. In total. between 500 and 800 people were brought in on Sunday. ' About 80 of these went to the McKee Medical Center for treat- ment but only nve were admJtted. Another three were admitted to Poudre Valley Memorial Hospital. As the evening approached, rescuers were dropped into the canyon to organize survivors, who could not be brought out before sundown, so they could make Jt through the night. Body recovery was a low priority. It proceeded almost exclusively on the pla1ns below the canyvn. St1ll. by the end of the day 40 bodies had been recovered. 1lle f1rst body was Identl!ted. Sgt. Purdy of the state patrol. MONDAY,AUG.2 The sun rose into a haze of mist and rain that hugged Loveland and themounta1ns. IN WASHINGTON the letters from Lamm and Eddy were hand. carried to the Whfte House. Before the moming was gone, LarImer County would be an offlclaJ disaster area. For workers In the command post at the NCWCD as wen as famllles and friends of the hundreds of mlss1ng people, thJs was possibly the toughest day of all after the tnttlalflood. No one kilew for sure how many people were sWI stranded In the canyon, yet because of the weather, the workhorses of the rescue operation, the helicopters, couldn't ny. The sherUl and other offtc1ala busied themselves organ1zing ground rescue efforts. A four.wheel drive rescue drive Into Drake over Pole Hill Mountaln and a pack hors~ trip into the main branch ot thll canyon were arranged. It was not unt1llate in the day thai the weather broke, g1ving the helicopters a chance to go to work. Within the short time before dark, they brought 80 to 100 people into Loveland. The number of confirmed dead rose to 69. 'I1JESDAY, AUG. 3 Today the sun rose into a crystal clear sky over Larimer County . In Loveland the f1rst of many meetings was held to brief l<<;JCaJ officJals on state and federal ald available to individuals to help them recover from the flood. Chatred by Lamm, the meeting moved quickly. OffJcJals said representatives of several agencies already were busy in the canyon surveying damage. Ow1ght Bower ot the state high- way department, said road crews were starting on a pioneer road that would be completed between the Narrows and Estes Park by the weekend. His boss, State flI.ghway Director Jack KlnsUinger, saId the pennanent road would be rebuilt "pretty much along the same path" and be opened in about one year. Hal York of the Environmental Protection Agency said a broken sewer line In Estes Park had been temporarily repaired so raw sewage was not pourtng Into the river. Another official saJd Loveland water was safe. Watson was able to report that rescue crews apparently had done a better job on Sunday than realized at the time. As of this. moming, he saJd, "Just about everyone Ia out that wants to come out." Between a 100 and 125 people. he estimated, were staying In the canyon ot their own volition. Yeargan announced at the com- mand post that he was pulling his last .contingent of troops out of the canyon and from now on would only provide helicopter support for the sheriff. Body recovery and security became the main focus of the sheriff's effort. At the morgue, officials received refrigerated truck trailers In which to store bodies too battered to retain embalming fluid. The number of bod1es retrieved was 72 by the end of the day. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 4 At 10 a.m. disaBter relief centers opened In Loveland, Estes Park and Fort Collins. Representatives of all federal and state agencies whJch could provide short- and long-term ald for individuals were located in each center. Lamm signed two executive or- ders authorizing road and cleanup crews to enter private property without tollowlng normal legal procedure In order to accomplish work. Watson announced that spec1ally trained dogs and mecharncal, hand- held "snlffers" were being used in the search for bodies. He saJd Infrared cameras, once . In its path used In Vietnam, were being used to locate anybody who might sWI be al1ve under the rubble. OffIcers stationed In the canyon to provide security for undamaged homes were begtnnlng to have problems because so many people were returning to the area trom all directions. But Watson said there was no senous looting problem. In Denver the tJrst funeral for a flood victim, Highway Patrol veteran Purdy, was held. The body count was 74. mtJRSDA Y, AUG. ti The f1rst meeting just to review the procedure tor public faclllty aid was held in Loveland. La.mm signed an executive order authortting cleanup and road- building crews to remove private property that was damaged and/or p:lSed a public hazard. The refugee center at Loveland High School closed after the flow of flood victims slowed to a trickle. The number of bodies retrieved was 76. FRIDAY,AUG.8 Lamm cha.1red another meeting with federal, state and local ot- tldals. ThIs one was smaller than the first and concluded with the LarImer County commissioners indicating that they were research- ing their authority toestablJsh a slx. month moratorium on most rebuilding In the canyon. Don Barnett, the mayor of Rapid City, S.D. durtng the 1972 flood In which 239 people were kllled, also attended the meeting. He assured the oftlcJals that the community could recover from the flood with a unJted effort. Watson aJVIOW1ced the establish- ment of substations in the canyon at Cedar Cove, Drake and Glen Haven to provide security and assistance for the residents and crews working there. The sherttf al80 announced the use of divers to enter submerged vehicles and houses. The day ended with the crash of an Ag helicopter in the canyon. There were no Injuries and onIy minor damages. The crash oc- curred as the craft was 1lttIng off after taking on a body. By the end' of the day the total number of bodJes recovered had risen to 79. SATURDAY, AUG. 7 Long distance telephone service was reestablished to Estes Park this moming. Most ot the service to Estes Prlor to the July 31 flood was provided by lines running up the Big Thompson Canyon. At the close of its operation today, the disaster reltef center In Fort Collins closed. The death COWlt stood at M. WEEK OF AUG. 8-14. This week began with a memorial - service tor victims of the flood at the FInt United Presbyterian Chruch in Fort Collln.s. A team of federal and state of- f1c1als also flew into Cedar Cbve and Drake Sunday to meet with in- dividuals eligible for assistance who had not visited the relief centers. On Monday two out-of-state ftrms began the job of clearing debris under contracts with the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Work began In the viclnlty of the Big Thompson school. That evening the Estes Park indIvidual relief center closed permanently. Phone service to Allenspark also was restored on thJs day. '!be job of dismantling emergency operations continued on Tuesday with the shutdown of the command postat the NCWCD. Larimer County "Commissioners adopted temporary flood-way zonlng, Watson also announced that because of the lack of manpower he would limit the search for bodies in the future to spotters accompanying the cleanup crews. BY WEDNESDAY the first of 35 mobUe homes, that would be used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to house some of the survivors of the flood anived in Loveland. They were located at the Columbine TraUer Park. The last remalntng individual relief center, the ont' located 1n Loveland, W8Jl closed at the end of Jts operation on Thursday. '!be tlrst meeting of residents and property owners of the Big Thompson Canyon was held Saturday in Loveland. About 300 people attended the meeting called by Raymon Hayden, a resident of Johnstown and owner of the Flying Y Ranch at Drake. Public officials answered questions about the county's in- tentions on future zoning of the canyon and said officers would continue to provide security In the canyon. People attending the meeting also elected representatives based on geographJcal areas of the canyon to keep up with recovery work. At the end of the week the officJal death toll reached 104. WEEK OF AUG. 115-21 In the third week following the flood, recovery work continued at an increasing pace. By the end of the week the U.S. Corps of Engineers had issued Its ftna.1 contract for debris clearance. The cleanup contracts totaled $406,1570 for removal of an estimated 121,000 cubic yards of debris In the canyon and on the plains below. By midweek, with more than half a dozen crews worldng In the canyon, the highway department had managed to establish a pioneer road between Estes Park and Drake through the north fork of the Big 'nlompson canyon. Work was st1l1 proceeding to connect Drake with Estes Park through the main canyon and with the end of the.paved road at the entrance to the Narrows. Meetings also continued th1s week with federal, state and county of. ficlals reviewing in more detaU aJd available to the county. Late In the week the death to1I stood at 117. On the cover The color photograph was taken Thesday, Aug. 3, by Rick Browne of the Denver Bureau of the Associated Press. The lower photo Is by Joe Novotny of the Coloradoan staff and shows damage to Highway 34 near the mouth Of Big Thompson Canyon. Other photos in thIs edition are by Novotny, Matt Jacobs and Katherine KenIston - all of the Coloradoan staff - Browne and by outside contributors as noted. FOll:TCOLLlHS """"""'" ASPEIOELHEWS"A"t:R ForICoIHIl!I~Irw;_ llUR;wokltA_ '"0_&0.1517 T~J03-In-fJI1 MfrTIberolllleASsocilllldPr,"- ColorIClDPreuAss.ocill;on,Audll S"'NUoIClrculltiom.