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" ,. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewsBank, inc. - *NewsBank NewsFile* - Article with Citation ~---------------------------------------,------------------------------------ ~rce: Coloradoan, The (Fort Collins, CO) Headline: High water strands homeowners, drivers Date: July 29, 1997 Length: 824 words Author: KEVIN VAUGHAN The Coloradoan . Topics: floods damage reports Colorado Text: Record-breaking rains brought catastrophic flooding to Fort Collins late Monday, washing a train off the swampirig streets and basements, and running rescuers ragged. As of midnight, no deaths had been reported, but at least seven people had been treated !at Poudre Valley Hospital. "Unfortunately, we just don't have the resources to deal with all the problems," said Glenn Levy, the city's emergency management coordinator. Authorities were checking the poudre River as far east as Windsor in a search for peopl~ who may have been washed downstream. Officials were worried about what they might find when the water receded - they responded ~o several calls of people trapped in cars but found no ~e in the vehicles when they arrived. ilar weather conditions may be on the way today. day night, officials called in all the firefighters, paramedics and police officers they could find. Dive rescue teams from Larimer County and Loveland wer~ working in Fort Collins late Monday night, and dive teams from Greeley, Longmont and Boulder were on the way early this morning. Firefighters and ~ivers rescued dozens of people stranded in their homes or automobiles by high water. The area getting the most attention late Monday night was the Johnson Center Mobile Home Park, 1799 S. College Ave., where a passing train jumped the tracks. According to reports, one trailer exploded and two others were burning. Rescuers in boats were evacuating people from the mobile-home park, sandwiched betweeh the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. tracks and a flooded-out College Avenue. Officials were still on scene at 1:30 a.m. and there was no word on injuries early today. It was believed that hazardous materials were onboardthe train. Across the city, scores of people were evacuated from their flooded-out homes and taken to Beattie Elementary School, 3000 Meadowlark Ave. Sections of numerous roads in the area were closed, including major thoroughfares Taft Hill Road, Horsetooth Road, Shields Street, College Avenue, Drake Road and Trilby Road. Prospect Road was blocked by the train that went,.off the tracks. Officials received hundreds of reports of ,flooded basements. , Several times during the evening, Levy broke into local TV programming to 4I!e people to stay off area streets and plead with them not to call 911 ess they had a1police, fire or medical emergency. He termed roads angerously flooded." The water cut a swath of destruction through the center of Fort Collins along the Spring Creek drainage, but street flooding and at least minor damage were reported in all parts of town. I .;<.