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<br />Rl:x:ky Mountain News
<br />11!i1!11!!!!1i;
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<br />Sun.. Aug. 3, 1997
<br />
<br />i'" q ~~': ~:
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<br />,Greater Denver
<br />
<br />892-5201 . .....11
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<br />metro@denver.rmn,com
<br />
<br />Deborah Goeken, Metro Editor
<br />. -,--. ....,.-...-....-.. .,.-,----------
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<br />Thousands live in flood plain
<br />
<br />tlll"d I'XJlI'rts sa~'. kno.....n. Hut Iloulder (ounler! you have trailer parks. it's a differ.
<br />....\nv strl';lIll (';In flUOIl, rq:arf]. ahouI !I,(JOO resid('nts in flood. ent scenario." Stewart said,
<br />It.~~\ l;f Ill(' rililiJ:atiVl' measures .....ars. .....hi]t,. Arvada officials place 'Flood.control experts say Boul-
<br />local ~ttn'rnnll'rlts hav(' flut in 11](' numhl'r of homes in f1uon.....ays der faces the greatest risl( of any
<br />p];I('(' to (';lrry floud.....;tlf'Ts." S;tYS ;It';thout 2,0011. inetro-area city because it sits at
<br />I,:lrn' ~l(:....."n of Ill(' Urhan I>r:lin. t\lu'it Colurilrlo dlil's ilnd coun. the mouth ora canyon that drains a
<br />;lg(' ;~ml Flood Conlrol Dislrict,;1n tit.s have rules il/-(ainst huildin/-( in hu/-(c chunk of the Front Range.
<br />:lgl'lH'r 1Iml S('(\'I(S Dem't'r <lIld flood plains. Bul many Iwmcs Boulder Coullty and the Urban
<br />parts of Allams. Arapahoe. llolll. .....ere huill IwfOTe: the early 70s. I>raina.':e District have set up a
<br />th'r, I )Clllgl;IS ,mil Jd(('TSOI\ ('oun. .....]wn dli('s, pnl<ldcd hy the [eder. network of rain I{auges and water
<br />Iii'S. ;11 gO\'Nnnwnl. adopted stirfer level sensors I>n Boulder Creek
<br />Till' lIislrkl S"llIJs oul f1uod. huildinl!l'lllles. <lnll it~ trihularies, A'system of
<br />\I'llllling 110lin's III 2:I,OlKI ;ul. Sloflll.indIlCt.d flooding in Ihe sirens will warn the puhlic to ge~
<br />drl''';s('~ Jl('ar f1omlwllVs, Sl11JllllN is 11 (('glllu o('Currenn:' in aWilY frmn the ae~k when a flood
<br />Thl' llislriet d,lt'sli'l dislingui>;h Color;tdll. II ofll'n'J.:oes unlllltic('d is approaching,'Jffidats said,
<br />IlI'I\\'I'I'1l nmlllll'frial ,llUI fes[(ll'n. 1J/'(';IllS(' so mUl'h' of the st:llt: is IkntUse manr Colorado creeks
<br />liOlllll'np('nil's in s('lUling out II\(' lt~finlltllf<ll bntl. ! aTe shallnw or ('ven dry most of
<br />llnlicl'. so II\(' t'xarl l1umher 01 "lIul when il hapPl~lls fI\'('r a Ihe year. newcomers often find it
<br />pi'lIpll' Ii\'in~ in nood plain" is \In- Sprill~ Crel'k ill ~i,rt Collins am) hard to helit:ve they can flood. See nooD PLAIN on 49A
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<br />"There were so many disasters, you're used t) seeing all these peoPle on TV, and you think;.' ' ),: ,{f
<br />you'll rwver be in it. And then you're in it. .. i
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<br />
<br />"(,rt Collins creek
<br />no different from !hnse
<br />mc;lndcring through
<br />I lcnver, engincers say
<br />
<br />By Berny Morson
<br />
<br />/t,.1:I \/..",a,ni,.\;", ,\',/11 lI",;t..,
<br />
<br />'1.11":1";111,1:> 1;( Illl'If(I'1l1"l'a n'si.
<br />'!.-/lI..;hl,'lh':trs!I'\'itlllstlMlnlltld
<br />I....."lll.' l':ll'll!l' loll'.'1I1l'und"T 1111'
<br />'.I>lllltll"ll" ih:!!' 111l11l'lllirl\' S)lI'II1.l:
<br />Ltl"'" ::11,>;1 ~l:kr,
<br />TIlt" 1'''11 L"lIm..; l'll"t'(llll is IlU
<br />.hll"II'llllfllllllllllllhl'll..; or flt'eli"
<br />!ll,l' !:It':llll!''l lhl'I'll~h I"t'"ilh'lllial
<br />n"l\:hlo"lho,~l, III llll' l1lt'lm all'a,
<br />
<br />A rainy
<br />-_gilt
<br />turns into
<br />- terror
<br />
<br />I'(lft Collins couple
<br />bravely battlcd the tide
<br />
<br />ey Usa levitt Ryckman
<br />N"b \1"'I',I,,,,,.\',,,,.,,!,,!'ll'~I,'
<br />
<br />fORT COlliNS - 11 SI;ll'kd wil..
<br />,lSllllllll. l!il' Slt',IlJ\" 1;1111",,,1 f:lill
<br />:1\~:1111~1 :Ill 'I:lln ~ ,I.....
<br />Ibinlhitl 1.-11 "11 Sllllll,l\". 1{;lill
<br />lh:ll !dl<>Il\I<>lld,!\'. \lllfl'llt;llIl,\
<br />lllrlll':> 1Il :~ I hOlll", hllill~ j,:rlll It,
<br />~pnllgCl'i,t'kl"t'lIl,,'il1':,
<br />Siklllh, ,I 11'(111 ul Wall'f I'IISl'..
<br />hiddl'll I>~ III<' f;lllru:ul Ill'd :dUlll:
<br />llwl>:h'k"I,It'lll lIlt' lohllsulIlllul
<br />""ulh l',' ~.' 11H.hll,':hUIlll' pal lis.
<br />:\nd llll . ,Ul"IIll'1 "11111111: .t 1'~1l
<br />I ~l>11 ulll\" liIl"w \\"h.ll ..~ 111;11
<br />'\\"I'I:i\\',I\'..Jl'l'I'.llltl"I"IlI:>I'llliX.
<br />\";11 "Id l.ul',"li>l'll'tll'illlll11SIll'UIlI
<br />llllll :\1>. [;" Sllll Ib/('d, lu' 0111\'110"<1
<br />Ins 11,~.1' :11111 S:III' IllS Illlrk 11:111 suI,
<br />lllt'rl~' '11m" will I i,illf~ 11'0111'1.
<br />Ilt'h'IlII>l'I'Il:II.ll"lllerlllln',II,
<br />h,lll ~"l'tl tlli..; Ilt'lun', ;lIld h,
<br />kIll'\\" Wlldl illll"ltlll: lllimlll" I"
<br />~'ll'rllI'Wh"ll1Iallt'n'llm!lSI
<br />\'lUll!.
<br />If;tlvll! d,'1 lip!" 11(' s"illl.
<br />,>:I.vl';lr.olll wilt.. "1."I's g,.
<br />"Ill (If I~I'\('! "1'111'11''<; iI flOIHI n'Ill'
<br />ill~!"
<br />'1\\'11 'llilll\h'S 1;111'1', !.upl' '1IIrn'/
<br />llwkl'd .1~;lill, Tlw w,lli'r hat!
<br />"Il~ulf('11 1111; humJ of hi:<- tru('k.
<br />Tllt'ir 11111hilt. hUlm' liftt'd off its
<br />
<br />The first' settler~ learned about
<br />flash floods Oil May 20, 1864, when
<br />Cherry Creek washed away much
<br />of fledgling Denver, including the
<br />cabin that housed the Rocky
<br />MOlmta;n NeU's building, which
<br />had been erected on stilts,
<br />Coloradans and the federal ~ov~
<br />ernment have since spent billions
<br />in an effort to conlrol flooding,
<br />including about $200 miJljon since
<br />1973,
<br />Cities hOlve" ch:mnelcd creeks,
<br />rebuilt bridgcit6 let flood waten;
<br />pass. sculpted lawns in parks to
<br />serve as retention ponds and de.
<br />signed wide grcenways along
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<br />.. ' """mad Ie<.../J(ox~~ MoI.nl""'Nl'wt
<br />Cmol Joy Collins finds the eyeglasses she lost while being rescued Monday night during the flood that swept through
<br />alrilllcr park in Fort Collins, The floodwaters moved her trailef 100 yards but did not damage it significantly,
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<br />'"I/I;,'blllln anti l'm;I~Il<'d inlo :l
<br />{'lllll('St,t'hn,
<br />II .....:I~lill1('ttl~II.NIIW,
<br />1\(lr"lyngr:lhlwd" rlashlight alld
<br />Ill'!" kt.ys. l.UPl' plllll'd!lll his hl;t\'k
<br />n,who}' bllols alltl ~r1'hllt'd 1\;1/',1'
<br />I~'II, Tak(' wh;l1uw\t('fS mus!.
<br />11(' !losilill/l(,t1 his wif(' on 11ll'
<br />IOISI H'lIlainingsl('p, tht'll kil'kt'll in
<br />.:1 wind"w Iu m,lkt' ;ll1m:-'~r sft'p for
<br />1111'111 bOlh,l.art'rtlllrd('aril1~awllY
<br />,illY shards III pmtl'l't Karal~'n's
<br />(('1'1. Tlwy WNe ~oin~ IIp,
<br />I.UJlI' hlli~h'd himsl'1f linIn Ill('
<br />Ilwhill' hllllll"~ rOH( ,lIlIl ~:rllhlH'd
<br />
<br />hllldll(ahralldl.! '
<br />"fluId on! Sh'll in Ill(' window!"
<br />ht'sait!.
<br />C1Ult'hing Iht, hrandl in onl'
<br />h.lIIl1,l\(' slrugglt'd flll'lIl1 Karalyn
<br />up heside him, Tht, .....all.r s.....al.
<br />lo.....(,d their (,trs, The hranch in
<br />I.IlJl("s h;tI1d hl'...:an to crack, lie
<br />grahht'donlO anlllherand held fast
<br />III !~is wife. di~lun\!in,J.: his llrnt:
<br />JCSUSSilV(~ liS! Kar:llyncrled.
<br />The SCfl'alllS nf lheir neighbors
<br />pil'r('ed lilt' d;lrklless from every
<br />din'l.tillll. Childn'l\ wailed. It
<br />soundt'n likl' pt'llple w('re bein.':
<br />
<br />tortured. I.upc thotl.':ht.
<br />Thl'Y heard Irnin C'ars crashing into
<br />mnbi1t, homes somewhere above
<br />1111'm.t\ (('m.':t'rntorlloall'd hy,
<br />As they watched. the mobile
<br />hom(' that used to sit across the
<br />streN was crunched in'the rush.
<br />ing torrent like a piece of paper'
<br />wadded lip h~' th.e h<lnd ofGon.
<br />The lbrr,'zes clung to tree
<br />brnnches while their mohile home
<br />rorked bt'ne,lth them tike'a b001t
<br />ready to tip, Their (eet slipped pre.
<br />rnriously on the slick roof, Kara.
<br />tyn'~ arm began to grow numh. 111("
<br />
<br />smell of natural ~as filled the air.
<br />. Lupe could hear a ~hild scream.",
<br />mg, Th.crc Wa!l nothtn~ he coul(:; ',4:
<br />do but listen,. ~J",.;;
<br />It was midnight when the fire i~"
<br />department re!\Cued them. Kara.':".:~;,
<br />Iyn first because she couldn't'",~}~..
<br />swim. "i;;>:'-
<br />The firefighters'came the same .
<br />way as the water, down from the '1<
<br />railroad tracks and over the fence.fV::C_
<br />They saw Lupe Torrez waving his,>:'"
<br />nashlight. and they helped Karalyn ''-'1;'';
<br />
<br />See FORT COWNS on SOA ~'l~t',
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