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......Flood Briefs...... CBers Assist as Disaster Hits Canyon (The following story by Lou Murphy ap- peared in the Estes Park Trail-Gazette, on Wednesday, August 4, 1976) Citizens Band radio operators in the Estes Valley have worked around the clock since the disastrous flood hit the area's canyons last Saturday night. In the initial hours after the devastating floodwaters rav- aged the Big Thompson, Glen Haven and Drake areas, CB radio was a prime link for getting and giving information to citizens, visitors and law enforcement agencies. According to Bob Manly, pres- ident of the local CB club, the Rocky MountainEars, "CBers were the first civilians to rise to the occasion, which was predictable, II "Law enforcement agencies had their hands absolutely full, and CB filled the gap to give visitors and residents reliable information and help answer questions," Manly continued. He credited CB operators with helping to get facts about the sit- uation, stemming rumors, and most of all, rounding up hundreds of volunteers in the early hours after the tragedy. "Not only local CBers, but literally hundreds of visitors with CB units immediately offered assistance in many ways," Manly added. Mrs. Orval (Orpha) Kendall has been manning her "Grandma Base" at her South St. Vrain home since the disas- ter struck. She stayed on the air 25 consecutive hours - from 9 p.m. Satur- day until late Sunday night - and has had about 10 hours' sleep in the last 36. "I just happened to be on the air right when it happened," she said, "so I just stayed on to help." Since Saturday night, Mrs. Kendall has served as the coordinator for all CB messages and "Grandma Base" has been the control center for information instructions, and relays to mobile and walkie-talkie operators scattered throughout the disaster area. She has been assisted by Mr. and Mrs. Dave Broughton of Ontario, 38 Canada, who walked out from Seven Pines early Sunday morning and were picked up by Mike Gurney and Ed O'Dell. Since their rescue, the Broughtons have been helping Mrs. Kendall man the communications base keeping track of literally thousands 01 messages. "We've been working closely with the police department and the sheriff's de- partment," Mrs. Kendall said, "and there has been excellent cooperation on both sides." Since Monday morning, CB assist- ance in the hard-hit Devils Gulch area has been under the jurisdiction of the sheriff's department. Blake Patterson and Bill Burcaw established a radio connection early Sunday morning with Johnstown and LaSalle, Colo., to assist visitors and residents in reaching relatives all over the nation. "We made 280 calls in a 24-hour period between Saturday and Sunday night, and almost another 200 went out Monday," Patterson said. With the cooperation of Tom Patrick of Mountain Bell, one long distance line was set up for "extreme emergency only", and calls of that nature were placed to anxious relatives and friends through "Beaver Base," Patterson's home station. Dick Marsh supplied base units for the hospital, American Legion and the high school to help coordinate rescue efforts. He stood duty at the hospital base for many hours, helping to obtain supplies; locate personnel and relaying important messages. Channel 7 was taken over by Cheley Camps, who maintained direct communications with their camp personnel and the Retreat area on highway 7. Their "Office Base" provided information for other rescue units as well as reassuring parents of campers. Jeanette and Bob Pinson, Laura and Bob Belleau were praised by Mrs. Ken- dall for the hours of work and many services they performed. Sam and Sally Carlin, who are qualified first-aiders and expert outdoorsmen, took walkie-talkies into the Glen Haven and Big Thompson canyons to search for victims and offer assistance. Jeff Woodring set up communica- tions at isolated Grandpa's Retreat. Doug Pearson and Lee Baker helped direct early cleanup operations in the Highway 34 area. Young Pearson, age 16, estimated that they towed out or winched out about 200 people and 80 cars in the area where they worked. CB was used to mobilize 4-wheel vehicles Sunday. CBers and members of the Longs Peak 4-Wheelers spent the day transporting evacuees, especially from the Glen Haven area. Channel 14 was taken over by CBers in Devils Gulch who operated with walkie-talkies. Manly helped with arrangements to take victims to the YMCA camp, where 250 beds were made available Sunday night to those needing shelter. CBers have also arranged rides for stranded visitors who need to get to the valley areas. CBer and 4-Wheeler Ken Chapman drove seven hours Sunday to get back to Estes Park, then immediately went to work assisting. He spent Monday manning a relay station on Pole Hill, helping to get messages to Longmont for relay elsewhere. Valley search and rescue units praised the local CB operators for "holding on" in the early hours of the disaster, and for all the assistance they have given since. "We can't possibly name all the CBers who pitched in and helped, in one way or another," Manly said. "But we are certainly gratified by their wholehearted response, and we think that CB radio here provided a vital service to the area that couldn't be obtained any other way. "Most of all, they were ready when they were needed," Manly concluded.