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<br />Sevemteen lives are lost. <br /> <br />Power shortages become numerous as lInes ,aro torn dOl;n. <br /> <br />N umero us bridges <br />eventually gi ve way. <br />waters. <br /> <br />cause damming with suddec, Dou'ges of water' as they <br />Cars, animals and other det,ris fill the advancing <br /> <br />JI Cl'ashing wall of water hi ts the western poach of Fountain Cl'eek just <br />upstl'earn from town. Three motels are inundated F.'" Fountain Creek rushes <br />beneath and through their structures. Sane t,=n,mt.s escape by climbing the <br />hill behind the motels. Nineteen others are sw",>,1; to their death~;. <br /> <br />By 6:00 p.m., an official evacuation prog1"arn has begun. Because the <br />city has no pre-planned routes to safety theel'oject is ,~haot1c and <br />inefficient. Colorado Springs' officials are having difficulty entering <br />Manitou Springs due to the severe flooding. J'lood water in trle overbanl<s <br />is exceelding ten feet in depth and flow veloci t.:I es are now exceeding <br />fifteen feet per second. <br /> <br />Confusion over warnings and evacuation procedures ar,= over'loacling the <br />few telephone lines not down. Some people ar,e I,'t.ill una"are of the <br />floo,1' s speed and strength, spending a fatal .Length of tIme collecting <br />valuables and pets. <br /> <br />"I lias taking pictues for the local paper "hen I noticed a wClnan with <br />one arm wrapped around a post and the oth,=,o around her dog. She was <br />lucky she was so near the bank or I could noyer have puUe!d her out, <br />The strength of the stream was overwhelming,," <br /> <br />1\ mother and her three children try to escape from theil' clrifting car <br />when a giant wave sweeps the car and the thre,= children away. All three <br />chil,jren are killed. (Gazette Telegraph, 7/2~5/(5). <br /> <br />In most areas the creek is cresting at least, nine fe"t above the <br />stream bank (U .S. Army Corps of Engineers" 191311'-',).. Side canyons and <br />tributal'ies are flooding--the powerful water is clestroying car's, bridges, <br />homes arid any other obstacle that gets in its p.;"t.h. <br /> <br />Oldelr structures located along and over Fount ain Cre"k suffer the most <br />damage as the flood reaches its peak. The nwnerClus businesses ancl tourist <br />Shops that lie parallel to the creek and to Mamtou Avenue are demolished <br />as the clreek roars past engulfing them. Video w1<i pinball machine,s from <br />Arcaeje Amusements are left in a chaotic mass of ,jebris, leaving the <br />proposed Mani tou Mall area devas tated. <br /> <br />The historic Episcopal church is inundate,j at'l,j all Hs contents <br />virtually destroyed beyond repair. <br /> <br />The Mani tou Springs fire and police clepartmonts face further <br />diff:,culties as a crushing force of water knockl'; down th" support beams <br />for City jlall, causing the back half of the building to ,~ollapse into <br />Fountain Creek. Luckily, the building ha.d been evacuate,j beca,use of its <br />location on the creek. <br /> <br />-35- <br />