FLOOD07982

• County: Larimer
• Stream Name: Big Thompson
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: The Big Thompson Flood
• Date: 7/31/1976
• Prepared For: Larimer County
• Prepared By: C.F. Boone Publisher
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

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The Salvation Army Story

Helping Those Who Help

BY MAJOR MERVYN L. MORELOCK
Salvation Army

It was a pleasant and cool summer
evening, that 31st day of July, for the
summer home residents and vacation-
ers in the Big Thompson Canyon. The
25 mile long canyon is the main route
between the plains of Colorado and
the scenic Estes Park and Rocky
Mountain Park region. For thousands
of vacationers, over the years, it has
been the stopping place for camping,
fishing and enjoying the comforts of
being a pampered visitor at the many
guest motels along the river.
They never suspected that such a
day would end in horror, pain and
death.

A freak storm, a "once in 100 years"
storm, poured a torrent of 11 inches of
rain in less than a 4 hour period into
the already rain soaked valley and on
the impervious rocky hillside. Thous-
ands of tons of water roared down the
narrow valley, carrying houses, cars,
motor homes, tents, trailers, and tons
of debris. And a tragic human cargo of
more than 100 lives. Nothing could
stop it. As it slammed into canyon
walls, cars were smashed into puny
,. ','. .~
lumps of metal. Houses'exploded,
bridge supports tore away as the mad
swollen river bulldozed its way toward
the town of Loveland some twenty-five

hundred feet below.
At 10:15 p.m. The Salvation Army's
telephone in Denver rang with calls
from Larimer County Rescue and the
Loveland police. "A terrible disaster,
we need your canteen!" Within
minutes, Harley Cook, a member of
the Salvation Army Men's Social had
called the kitchen crew. After
contacting Salvation Army Staff
Officers Lt. Robert McEaneney and
NCaptain Bill Birks, Cook began
loading the canteen with food and
coffee for an eight day disaster effort.
Within an hour and fifteen
minutes, and a sixty mile trip, the

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