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<br />Another victim is claimed on Ruxton Avenue as he and his sister try to <br />escape their home. <br /> <br />"We heard the water and eventually rocks and bOulders hitting the side <br />of the house. We saw that the creek and road were now one huge river <br />and tried to get out and climb the bluff behind us. My brother was <br />trapped between the outside wall and a giant wave of water...and then <br />. I couldn't even see him anymore" (Gazettte Telegraph, 6/20/65). <br /> <br />Gas and electric lines ar'e destroyed causing power outages and small <br />explosions. Sanitary sewage lines fill with pressure, blowing manhole <br />covers and spewing raw sewage into the floodwaters. The hazard of disease <br />now adds its threat to the city. <br /> <br />Cottages and motels once found along the lowland floodplain are washed <br />out, many dislocated. <br /> <br />The next few days are spent recovering bOdies and providing shelter <br />and food to the homeless. Victims are difficult to identify as their <br />bOdies were badly mutilated by the river and identification and clothing <br />were stripped off by the powerful flow. Cars were destroyed and washed <br />miles downstream. Mud and debris fill the entire Manitou Springs area. <br /> <br />Ninety-seven people were known to die in Manitou Springs and many <br />others are still missing. Few are injured; there are only survivors or <br />non-survivors. No one drowns in such a disaster but, rather, is killed by <br />the powerful blows of water and debris. Structural damages within the <br />city are in the multi-millions and clean-up costs will further escalate <br />the total (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1985). <br /> <br />-36- <br />