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We’re in this together. Macy’s is here to help. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the recent floods in Colorado. We also recognize the disaster relief personnel whose tireless efforts are making a difference in our community. Macy’s will make a $2O,OOO donation to the American Red Cross of Colorado to support its Colorado Floods relief effort. If you were affected by the recent floods, Macy’s is here to assist you:
2O% discounts throughout the store* 1O% off furniture, mattresses and rugs* Save on regular, sale and clearance-priced items that you need. Offer good now through March 27, 2O14.
Here’s all you need to do: 1. To apply for the Macy’s Disaster Assistance Program, simply ask a Sales Associate at any of our Colorado stores. Provide your completed insurance claim form, or similar documentation from an agency such as FEMA, and a photo ID. 2. If you are approved to participate in the Macy’s Disaster Assistance Program, you will receive a voucher that permits you to receive the discount when you make eligible purchases at any Macy’s store through March 27, 2O14. We’d like to thank all of our Sales Associates and Support Personnel for all of their efforts during this challenging time. If you have been affected, you’re also eligible to participate.
*Excludes: Everyday Values (EDV), cosmetics, fragrances, athletic shoes for him, her & kids, Breitling watches, Tag Heuer, Tempur-pedic; products offered by vendors who operate leased departments in any of our stores including: furs, maternity, eSpot, Burberry, Gucci, Longchamp Louis Vuitton. Not valid on: previous purchases, special orders, services, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, payment on credit accounts; restaurants, gourmet foods, wine, macys.com. Cannot be combined with any other savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer, except opening a new Macy’s account. EXTRA SAVINGS % APPLIED TO REDUCED PRICES. Disaster Assistance Program discount offer in effect through March 27, 2O14.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 3Z
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4Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
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2013 FLOOD
In midst of disaster,
BOULDER COUNTY RISES
Flood-ravaged communities come together to help each other By Amy Bounds Camera Staff Writer
The home of Alex Teller and Rick Frankel became command central in Boulder’s Chautauqua neighborhood as residents worked together to clean up after this month’s historic flood. Teller, who has a 5-year-old, used a community bulletin board, Facebook, email and her phone to connect those who needed help with those who could rip up carpet, move damaged items and shovel giant piles of mud. Her husband, who’s good at fixing things, worked 12 hours a day helping out in the neighborhood. He was joined by both residents and dozens of volunteers sent by churches. The couple’s home was used by neighbors to take showers, cook meals and drop off tools for volunteers. Teller said a priority was checking on elderly residents, including an 81-year-old woman whose older home flooded with 3 feet of water at 4 a.m. There also was a “bucket brigade” manned with volunteers that formed to deal with mud. “The community was so amazing in coming together and working together,” she said. “Everyone did what they could — and all of it was fabulous.” As many stories as there are of destruction and narrow escapes from raging water or mudslides across Colorado’s Front Range, there are even more of neighbor-
How to help A few ways to contribute to the Colorado flood relief effort: Red Cross: redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be made by visiting ColoradoRedCross.org. Help Colorado Now: HelpColoradoNow.org is a partnership between the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Foothills United Way: Foothills United Way has established the Foothills Flood Relief Fund for immediate relief as well as longerterm recovery in Boulder and Broomfield Counties. The fund is accessible online at unitedwayfoothills.org/floodrelief.
Inside Boulder County victims Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan.................... 15 Gerry Boland .............................. 18 Joey Howlett .............................. 20
Story of the flood Rising Waters ........................22-30 Paul Aiken Daily Camera
From left, Steve Gabel and Patrick Muir move a soaked couch out of Muir’s apartment on Seventh Street on University Hill in Boulder on Sept. 14. Gabel, a neighbor, came by to lend a hand.
On the cover The Summit County Rescue team works to save Suzanne Sophocles, center, from her severely flooded home Sept. 13, on Streamcrest Drive in Boulder. Jeremy Papasso l Daily Camera
hoods banding together or strangers lending a hand to help get people through the epic floods that swept across Boulder County, killing four people, destroying hundreds of homes and damaging
thousands more. Kathleen Tierney, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, said that, in all the major disasters she’s studied, a common theme is communities coming together to help. “It transcends culture and nationality,” she said. “This is one of the only times when members of all different social classes and groups seem to behave in much the same way.” In disasters, she said, normal social routines are disrupted and new norms and expectations develop that “almost compel people to want
to do something to help.” “People who are friends become even closer and will reach out to acquaintances and people they don’t know,” she said. “We can expect to see a lot of volunteering, a lot of charitable giving in the wake of this disaster.” In the case of Jamestown, an entire mountain town worked together after deadly floodwaters and mudslides washed out roads early Sept. 12, stranding the town’s 300 residents and cutting them off from outside help. See BOULDER COUNTY, 15
History Major floods in Boulder County.. 32
Letters from officials Boulder mayor, city manager ..... 34 Boulder County commissioners . 34 Longmont mayor ........................ 35 Lyons mayor............................... 36 Weld County commissioner ....... 36
Photo pages Boulder ..................................... 6, 8 Weld County............................... 38 Longmont ............................. 42, 43 Salina, Fourmile Canyon, Lefthand Canyon .................. 50, 51 Lyons.................................... 52, 53 Jamestown ................................. 55
Helping out Veterans dig into cleanup........... 48 Students offer flood relief ........... 49
Longmont High teacher, Carly Jiron, aids families at the Lyons Community reunion held at Calvary Church.
STRONG SCHOOLS
FOR A STRONG COMMUNITY It is said that without adversity, we would never know what we are made of. Over the past two weeks, our students, staff, and community have faced a disaster of historic proportion and they have responded with courage and resilience. They have also seen their friends and neighbors in the greater St. Vrain Valley come up beside them and support them in their time of need.
Thank you, to the people of St. Vrain Valley. We will not forget your caring and support throughout these difficult times.
303-776-6200 | www.svvsd.org
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6Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 6D
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2013 FLOOD
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Dag Larson, right, helps Alek Stefanov gather his belongings from his flooded apartment in the Aspen Grove Apartments off Kalmia Avenue in north Boulder in the early morning hours of Sept. 12. Larson and a friend woke Stefanov from a sound sleep as water poured into his apartment.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Britt Drake, of Boulder, stands knee deep in her flooded basement during the heavy flooding on Sept. 12.
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Greg Leon looks over a car that was overturned by floodwaters in Pine Brook Hills on Sept. 13, early in the flooding.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Boulderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Colleen Keane looks through a pile of some of her destroyed belongings outside her home on Sept. 15 as the days-long rain began to subside.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Brighton Fire Rescue firefighter Clint Mader searches for a possible drowning victim during the heavy flooding Sept. 12 in Boulder.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Jake Bennett moves a sand bag to help funnel water down Seventh Street at University in Boulder on Sept. 12 as heavy rains and flooding continued across the area.
For more flood photos and video, go to dailycamera.com
DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 7Z
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8Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
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2013 FLOOD
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Kyle Schuler, left, carries his pregnant sister with the help of their father, Kim Schuler, after gathering belongings from their flooded home on Upland Avenue in Boulder on Sept. 13.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
Erez Shani packs down soil on Sept. 15, along the top of a berm redirecting water as heavy rains caused ongoing flooding in Boulder.
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Granger and Suzie Banks walk between discarded and drying household items from a damaged house along Upland Avenue in Boulder on Sept. 15. Rain fell heavily again that day, increasing fears of more flooding in the area.
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Kent Shorrock, a longtime staffer at the Daily Camera, and his wife Astrid Paustian used straw bales and timber to keep rushing floodwaters away from their home on Violet Avenue in north Boulder on Sept. 13.
Cliff Grassmick Daily Camera
Will Vandenberge waits with his daughter, Mia, 4, outside the disaster recovery center at 5495 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder on Sept. 19. The city of Boulder and Boulder County opened at the center â&#x2C6;&#x2019; another also was opened in Longmont â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to help residents countywide needing help because of the flooding.
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Mike Posniewsky, a U.S. Postal Service carrier, waves at residents along Topaz Drive, before climbing across the washed out road to deliver mail Sept. 14.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 9Z
OH YES REPAIR RESTORE REBUILD WE CAN Thank you to everyone who has lent a helping hand during this incredible time of need. We know we have a long way to go, but we also know the people of this great state are as strong as they come. Every difficult journey begins with the first step, and step by step, little by little, we know that we will be able to rebuild our unbelievable communities.
Let us know if your running gear was ruined or lost in the flooding. Send your address and shirt size to race@bolderboulder.com, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll send you a Frank Shorter tech shirt and throw in a pair of running socks.
COLORADO, YOU ARE RUNBELIEVABLE
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It’s times like these that we see the best in humanity come together and help one another. It’s times like these that make us better and stronger and more appreciative of what we have. Together we will remain strong and steadfast to rebuild and revitalize the areas most affected by the recent devastation caused by the floods. It’s times like these that we’re proud to call this amazing place HOME. Keep the faith and we shall prevail. Love and Caring from Your Friends at Coldwell Banker Boulder
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DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 11Z
Thank you to all those whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve donated time, money and help to try to get Lyons and Longmont back on their feet.
12Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
The City of LongmonT
Thanks You
The people of Longmont have been seriously tested over the last two weeks, and our community has remained strong. Even before the rain ended, efforts began to help us emerge bigger and better than before.
Thank you to the hundreds of City employees who worked around the clock for days to take care of our residents and who will continue to work for weeks and months to repair our damaged city.
Thank you to the faith community and the nonprofit and community organizations that rallied their members to provide shelter, food, comfort, supplies, and clean-up assistance, as well as ongoing vital services that flood victims need to return their lives to normal.
Thank you to all our governmental partners at every level, including the Colorado National Guard, which continues to provide security and stability for our community.
And thank you to the people and businesses of Longmont who have
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LongmonT CITY CoUnCIL Mayor Dennis L. Coombs Gabe santos Bonnie Finley Brian Bagley sarah Levison katie Witt alex sammoury
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DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
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Impact’s Community Assistance & Response Effort Helping students, teachers, staff, and schools recover from the flood Working in conjunction with the Superintendent of Boulder Valley School District, iCare will help students, teachers, staff, and schools meet their immediate needs for success in the classroom. Every dollar contributed to iCare will be directly utilized to replenish academic necessities. Examples include, but are not limited to: replacement of damaged classroom and curriculum materials, books for libraries and classrooms, school supplies for impacted students, and much more.
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14Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the flood victims of Colorado. We would like to salute the first responders, volunteers, community and those who where impacted by the flooding!
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We Put Veterans First As area residents rebuild their homes and lives following the recent flooding in our area, local veterans are searching for their medals and military documents that may have been lost in the storms. In an effort to offer FREE assistance, Crist Mortuary, Mountain View Memorial Park, and the Dignity Memorial速 network are making available at no charge to the families and friends of the victims, its Veterans Planning Guide. Commonly used to gather information to plan a funeral in advance for a veteran, this free resource can be used to apply for replacement medals, certificates and documents related to United States military service.
With distinctive expertise, care and compassion, we are the right choice for veterans, active military personnel, and their families. In fact, our commitment to veterans is so strong, the Dignity Memorial速 network is the Founding Community Partner of the We Honor Veterans program, a collaboration of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Call us today to reCeive your Free veterans Planning guide
Proud Dignity Memorial速 Providers Crist Mortuary 3395 Penrose Place | Boulder, CO 80301 | 303-442-4411 | www.CristMortuary.com Mountain view MeMorial Park 3016 Kalmia Avenue | Boulder, CO 80301 | 303-442-4448 | www.MountainViewMP.com
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 15Z
2013 FLOOD
Young couple, both 19, taken by floodwaters Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan remembered as passionate Longmont Times-Call
They were 19 when the floodwaters took them. Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, a young couple returning home from a birthday party for a friend on Sept. 11, succumbed to the flood after the Subaru they were in became stuck in a mudslide on Linden Drive in Boulder. The two of them and a friend, Nathan Jennings, got out of the car while another friend, Emily Briggs, stayed in the car. Jennings made it to safety. Briggs was rescued in the car. Wesley and Wiyanna were swept away.
the young couple at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.
Wesley’s aunt, Tammy Quinlan, told those at the memorial that anyone who knew the young couple could see how much they cared about each another. His aunt, Annette Santiago, sang the Spanish-language song “Amor Eterno” in honor of the couple. The two had met during Wiyanna’s senior year of high school in the fall of 2011 when she began classes at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, according to a Denver Post article. Her mother, Jennifer Nelson, told the Post that Wiyanna was dealing with emotions from the family of six’s move from Lompoc, Calif. She graduated from Centaurus in 2012; Wesley, in May of this year.
His body was found Sept. 12. Hers was found Sept. 13.
Wiyanna’s cousin, Lizzy Schleuing, delivered her eulogy.
About 375 people attended a Sept. 21 memorial for
“Some people are like flowers. They blossom from
seemingly nowhere and radiate beauty. Wiyanna was like that for all that knew her,” Schleuing said. “She was free spirit who loved freely and fiercely.”
Wiyanna — a writer and sketch artist — had recently taken a second job so that she and Wesley could move out of Wesley’s father’s house in Erie, where they began living together in February, according to the Post. Wiyanna aspired to work in health care, her mother told the Post. Wesley had been accepted to the Colorado Film School. “He was going to attend film school to start working toward his dream of becoming a great director, a dream he had since grade school,” his cousin, Sandi Atencio, said during the memorial. She said Wesley would enlist his cousins as actors for his short films. “Wes will always be with us in spirit,” Atencio said. “Wes was the most stubborn, creative, intelligent, social and loving being you will ever meet.”
Cliff Grassmick Daily Camera
Mourners comfort each other at memorial service Sept. 21 for Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan at NCAR in Boulder.
Boulder County rises amid disaster
Continued from 4
David Mans, a Jamestown firefighter, was one of three main people who organized rescue efforts and stayed in contact with Boulder County authorities throughout the flooding. He and others said the town’s residents worked together to make sure everyone was accounted for, had a place to stay and had food and water. As the waters rose and a 100-foot-wide river split the town in half, residents built a pulley system across the raging waters, equipping the rope with a bucket to ferry medication, food and supplies to residents on the other side. “Everything was organized and focused,” Mans said. “We all took care of each other. We had a longterm vision of how to keep everyone safe.” Most residents were evacuated by helicopter a day after the worst of the flooding, with about 40 staying. Access to the town remains difficult. But residents continue to stay connected, helping each other find places to stay and offering rides up to the town or to bring in supplies and check on someone’s house or pets.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
Nick Carter joins his neighbors shoveling washout debris into a dyke to funnel water down Seventh Street at University Avenue heavy rains cause severe flooding in Boulder on Sept. 12.
ditch and not into the surrounding residences. Those efforts and past ‘Never seen anything flood mitigation work resulted in lives and livelihoods like this before’ In Boulder, when the nor- being saved, said Tom Duffy, manager of the mally tranquil Goose Creek 135-resident community at turned into a torrent, con2635 Mapleton Ave. The decern heightened in the surbris-removal efforts continrounding Mapleton Mobile Home Park as debris started ued for hours, with residents plugging the gates of a near- bringing out tools and engineering pulleys as means of by ditch. retrieving some of the heaviOne resident climbed down into the bellowing wa- est items, he said. “Disasters like this bring ters in the White Rock Ditch and started picking at the de- out the best and worst in sobris. Other residents, neigh- ciety,” Duffy said. “People come together; people solve bors and passers-by quickly joined the fray to clear away problems. It’s not always up to the fire and police to get 8-foot-long branches and heavy logs to help the water things done. We can help each other.” churn in the path of the
When Longmont neighborhoods reopened to residents after rising floodwaters overwhelmed streets and forced evacuations, volunteers swarmed in. They brought food, water, cleaning supplies and manpower. Residents also walked the streets of their affected neighborhoods, asking neighbors how they could help. LifeBridge Christian Church headed up one of the largest volunteer efforts in Longmont with nearly 1,000 residents on a waiting list to contribute to relief efforts, including running an evacuation center at the church. “We’ve never seen any-
thing like this before,” said Chris Kouns, volunteer coordinator for LifeBridge. “This is definitely the largest volunteer effort we’ve ever seen, but it’s also the biggest need we’ve ever seen.” Now, though, the volunteer efforts have turned to recovery. The flood damaged at least 3,854 homes and destroyed 349 in Lyons, Jamestown and unincorporated Boulder County alone, according to a preliminary assessment. Boulder, Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette are not included in that estimate. From businesses donating thousands of dollars to benefit concerts to a couple of middle school students mak-
ing $300 by selling rubber bracelets, flood relief fundraising efforts are gaining momentum.
‘Everyone is going to have to step up’ Lynne Fetterman, who lives in Boulder County, organized and ran the 4 Mile Community Store after the Fourmile Fire roared through the area on Labor Day in 2010 and destroyed 169 homes. The “store” provided gently used clothing, toys and other items to residents displaced by the Fourmile Fire. Fetterman said she saw a need for a clearinghouse for donations, connecting those in need with those who had
clothes and other items to give. With the help of volunteers, she kept the store open for eight months, expanding to a second location as needs shifted from clothes and toys to furniture and household goods. She’s working now to open a similar donation center for those in Boulder County who were most heavily impacted by the floods. There’s already a website, 4milestore.org, where people can list what they can contribute, including offers of services — a complimentary acupuncture session, for example, or the loan of a bike. She hopes to have a location for the storefront soon and also wants to figure out a mobile distribution center. “When people are going through this type of situation, they should not feel like they are isolated in their community,” she said. “They should feel like their community is rallying around them for the long term.” In running the Fourmile Fire donation center, she said, she found that the recovery took months, not weeks. She said people initially were in shock and “weren’t ready to think about how I replace my entire life. They can think about what I need today or tomorrow.” She said the flooding has an added challenge of being so widespread. People who didn’t lose a house, but still must pay thousands for mitigation or to replace furniture or to repair landscaping, may not be in a position to help. “There are a lot of people to support,” Fetterman said. “Everyone is going to have to step up to get through this.” Camera staff writer Alicia Wallace contributed to this report.
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We Were Down, But We’re Not Out. We are O pen ffor or Business! Business! Open
As Boulder County begins to recover, one of the best ways to heal and to support our communities in the wake of a disaster is by sharing your experience over a meal with friends. Let’s help the region become stronger than ever, starting by getting out to reconnect with friends, neighbors and local businesses.
Heal over a meal • Shop for therapy • Support your local businesses
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2013 FLOOD
Lyons teacher and coach was fourth confirmed flood victim Gerry Boland left legacy in sports and curriculum
she pulled over in a parking lot to wait for him, but he did not catch up.
At 6 a.m., Cheron Boland returned to Lyons Elementary School — the town’s evacuation center — where several people recounted seeing her husband around 3 a.m., but they did not know where he went, Stetson told BoCoPreps.com.
Longmont Times-Call
He was a former math teacher and volleyball coach at Lyons High School. Gerry Boland, 80, went missing Sept. 12 after his family evacuated from flood ravaged Lyons. His family fretted and Boland worried about his fate until searchers found his body Sept. 19.
When she left the school, she was caught in floodwaters and had to be rescued. The family hoped that Gerry Boland had returned home in North St. Vrain Canyon and was trapped, but search crews who reached the house at 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, did not find him. They saw that vehicles and out buildings had been swept away.
Boland marked the fourth death confirmed in Boulder County during September’s historic floods. His town, Lyons, was among the most heavily damaged. Boland spent 22 years coaching basketball and was a teacher in Lyons for 31 years — 25 at Lyons Elementary and six at the high school. He played a key role in creating Eco-Week, which included taking sixth-graders on an overnight trip in the mountains as part of the curriculum, according to his obituary. Services for the man who
Matthew Jonas Longmont Times-Call
A flooded St. Vrain River is seen between U.S. 36 and Apple Valley Road on Sept. 14 in Lyons. The body of Gerry Boland was found near the 1000 Block of Apple Valley Road, which is located near the bottom right side of the photo.
taught hundreds of Lyons children over his career are scheduled for Oct. 11 at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont. Howe Mortuary is handling arrangements. Boland was born in Kansas and later moved to Colorado, where he graduated
from Loveland High School. He served in the U.S. Army and then attended Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley, from which he graduated in 1955. That is where he met his wife, Cheron, according to his obituary. They married in Steamboat Springs in 1959.
Boland’s daughter, Longmont High School volleyball coach Holli Stetson, told BoCoPreps.com about the search and the wait the family endured after Boland went missing. According to the family’s account, Gerry Boland and
his wife evacuated their home about 2:30 a.m. Sept. 12, bound for Stetson’s Hygiene home in separate vehicles. However, the family believes he turned back somewhere along the way and headed back into town. When Cheron realized he was no longer behind her,
A FEMA search crew found him Sept. 19 in the 1000 block of Apple Valley Road, downstream from his home, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. That night, Stetson’s volleyball team honored her and her family in their game against Thompson Valley. They wrote “FOR COACH” on their legs. Gerry Boland is survived by his wife, daughters Holli Stetson and Amy Hoh; and son, Brent Boland; four grandchildren; and two sisters.
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I have never been prouder to be a member of the Boulder Community Hospital family. The Boulder County flood has had a horrific impact on many members of the Boulder Community Hospital family and citizens throughout the county. I know I speak for everyone at BCH when I say our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those who died or were injured and to those whose homes were destroyed or damaged. This unprecedented flood created major challenges in maintaining hospital operations. I was overwhelmed by the dedication, initiative and sheer determination that characterized the response of BCH staff and physicians to this demanding situation. So many worked so long and so hard to keep our patients and employees safe and to maintain our services at a time when they were so clearly needed.
David P. Gehant President and CEO, Boulder Community Hospital
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 19Z
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2013 FLOOD
Jamestown ‘ambassador’ lost in flood-caused building collapse Joey Howlett remembered as community ‘soul’ Longmont Times-Call
Joey Howlett watered the flowers in downtown Jamestown every day and gave water to cyclists who rode through the small Boulder County mountain town. “Patriach.” “The soul.” “The ambassador of Jamestown.” “Father confessor.” Those are some of the ways his friends — other residents of Jamestown — described him to the Daily Camera and Denver Post. Like three others in Boulder County, on Sept. 12, flooding claimed his life. The rushing waters and debris in the town where he had lived since 1969 caused his house on Main Street to collapse. For days, residents in the close-knit community had to presume Howlett had died until rescue crews were able to recover his body on Sept. 17. Jamestown is home to about 250 people who are familiar with weather-related disasters. Wildland fires have threatened it over the years, notably in 2003 with the Overland fire. Mudslides caused by rain running down the mountain over burn scars have coated the town. Howlett himself helped to clean up weatherrelated messes. He owned
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Joey Howlett, right, at the time the owner of the Jamestown Mercantile, is seen with Rainbow Shultz at the Merc in 2010. Howlett was killed during the recent floods when his Main Street home collapsed.
the Jamestown Mercantile from 1969 until 2010 and grew the business into a rallying point and home base for the town. “This place is really the heart of the community,” Howlett told the Daily Camera in 2010. “We keep the tempo of the community.
This is where everyone comes.” At 72, whenever someone would ask him how he was doing he would reply, “Never been better.” Howlett was a native of Portland and settled in James Canyon after traveling the country for 30 years. He
Thanks
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Wendy Conder 303-775-0108 wendy@wendyconder.com
said he vowed to never again live in a big city after he visited Colorado. “James Canyon was the place I selected,” he said in 2010. “I always thought there was opportunity here.” Jamestown Board Member Chad Droste attended a town hall style meeting in
Boulder after the floods caused the building with Howlett inside to collapse. The meeting was for residents to discuss the state of the town, and Howlett’s apparent loss loomed large. Droste said he lived with Howlett for five years and said Howlett was “one of the
sweetest guys.” “He had a gruff side to him, but he was a straight shooter. You knew where you stood with him. He didn’t ho-hum around. If he had a problem with you, he’d let you know. But if he loved you, he let you know that, too.”
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Together, nothing can dampen our strength, hope & resolve For more than 100 years, Longmont Clinic has been privileged to be a part of this amazing community. During that time, we have shared many triumphs and tragedies with you. Our hearts go out to all whose lives have been impacted by the recent floods — including many of our own patients, physicians and staff. We are honored to lend our support to the relief efforts throughout the St. Vrain & Carbon Valleys — because the one thing we know for certain is that together we will recover and rebuild — and we will be stronger and better than ever.
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AN OVERWHELMING OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY FOOD SHARE’S ROLE IN FLOOD RELIEF – NOW AND WELL INTO THE FUTURE
• Food for Dacs. Community Food Share is providing food for Boulder County Disaster Assistance Centers, almost daily.
• cFs agency Network. Community Food Share
distributes food for an existing network of 50 nonprofit agencies that provide food assistance.
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is providing additional food to many of the agencies in our network, who are seeing many more clients.
• Here for the Long Run. Community Food Share has
served Boulder and Broomfield Counties for over 30 years. We are the largest source of food assistance in our community and we will be here for flood relief in the weeks, months, and years to come. Community Food Share distributes over 7.5 million pounds of food annually.
• About Community Food Share. Community Food Share has been serving those in need of food assistance in Boulder and Broomfield Counties for over 30 years. As our community’s central source for food assistance, we are integrally involved in providing food in response to flood relief efforts.
• Food Distributed through a Network of Agencies. Community Food Share distributes food through an existing network of 50 nonprofit agencies such as food pantries, emergency food box programs, soup kitchens and shelters. These agencies are seeing many more clients in need of food and we are providing increased food deliveries in response. We will ensure that there is enough food in the pipeline to support these agencies on the front lines. • Our Sincere Thanks. The outpouring of support of Community Food Share’s efforts has been overwhelming. Truly, our phones have been ringing nonstop from caring people wanting to help. We are very grateful to those individuals, businesses, and corporations that have donated food and dollars, as well as the many fundraisers, in Colorado and other states, in support of Community Food Share’s flood relief efforts. We also thank our staff and volunteers, who have been working many hours to make sure we have enough food to meet the need.
Who to Call for Assistance
In need of food or other basic needs, please call 211 to find many sources of assistance.
Want to Help?
Contact Terry Tedeschi, Development Director, at 303.652.3663, ext 207, or ttedeschi@communityfoodshare.org. Our website is www.communityfoodshare.org.
Food donation from Sprouts in Boulder – 42,000 pounds of non-perishable food and 1,000 pounds of vitamins and personal care products, which Community Food Share shared with Food Bank for Larimer County & Weld Food Bank.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
To learn about the many ways Community Food Share is supporting our community and how our community is supporting Community Food Share.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 25Z
2013 FLOOD ANXIETY LEVELS LOW AT FIRST, BUT DRENCHING CONTINUED
UNDIMINISHED DOWNPOUR
Continued from 22
The rain continued across the county throughout the day Tuesday, prompting Erie to close a section of the Coal Creek Trail near Parkdale Circle at midday because of standing water. Little did Erie Parks Division Manager Gary Hegner know at the time that the trail wouldn’t be reopening for weeks, if not months. “Everybody knew there was a lot of rain falling, but not to the extent of what we ended up getting,” he said. “I don’t think anyone could have anticipated quite the severity of what was about to happen.” Four Mile Fire Chief Bret Gibson said he and his crew of volunteer firefighters kept an eye on the falling rain late Tuesday, especially because the 13 square miles of rugged terrain his district covers is still scarred by the 2010 Fourmile Fire and susceptible to runoff and flooding. But it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that Gibson realized what was shaping up outside his window was no ordinary storm. “Monday and Tuesday, our concern levels weren’t that high,” he said. “By Wednesday morning, we knew we had achieved ground saturation.”
Wednesday, Sept. 11: News flash: ‘Storm to boost annual moisture’ “Storm gives Boulder chance at average annual moisture total” was the headline greeting Camera readers in Wednesday’s morning edition. That was after 1.27 inches of rain had fallen between 5 p.m. Monday and 5 p.m. Tuesday. Boulder’s total for the year was now at 14.26 inches. “We’re doing OK” for annual rainfall, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kalina. Few had noticed two days before, the NWS had issued a flash-flood watch over the middle of the day for the Hyde Park burn area to the north in Larimer County — the first of many associated with the historic storm now underway. Forecasters saw a low-pressure system parked over the Utah Basin, fed by a southerly flow of tropical moisture, flanked by a high-pressure ridge to the northeast and upslope conditions that would keep rain in the forecast. “The incredible expansion and activity on Wednesday is the missing element that didn’t show up ahead of time,” said Bob Glancy, warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS. “So, we were reacting to that with warnings on Wednesday. We were thinking on the order of 2 to 3 inches of rain, causing flooding. We weren’t thinking on the order of 8 inches of rain, causing flooding.” Earlier that day, a group of 78 fifthgraders from Louisville’s Fireside Elementary School — along with three teachers, a student teacher and 10 parents — headed up to Cal-Wood Education Center near Jamestown. They anticipated three vigorous days of hiking and games and science-based environmental education — and being safely back in their beds at home Friday night. But throughout the day, it would rain. Children and adults alike were getting soaked. “I didn’t realize how much was really coming down,” said Shannon Burgert, a fifth-grade teacher at Fireside. “There was nothing to indicate that maybe we shouldn’t go up there or anything like that.” Soon, she said, “We were all borrowing gear. My boots fell apart.” Apart from the uncharacteristic downpour, Wednesday seemed at first like just another rainy day down in Boulder. The initial two postings that day on the city of Boulder’s Facebook page congratulated CU for ranking 36th on a list of public universities. Another invited residents to design their own transit system tool. Then came this city posting: “Holy rain Batman! As a result, trails in the Marshall Mesa, Flatirons Vista and Doudy Draw areas south of #Boulder are closed due to muddy conditions.” But the first serious sign things could tilt out of control came from Erie at 6:07 p.m. An officer had responded to a call of standing water on Vista Parkway and a manhole cover that had popped from its moorings. Not long after that bulletin, two patrol officers checking out flooding in the Grandview neighborhood got stuck and had to call for help. At 6:25 p.m., a transformer caught fire near Erie High School, and power lines were reported down on Erie Parkway. Water on some streets was surging to 3 feet in depth. “Things started rapidly evolving and rapidly going south on this,” Erie Police Chief Marco Vasquez said. “It went from, ‘We got some rain going on’ to, ‘This is turning into a pretty serious event.’ ” Longmont was seeing much of the same and was forced to shut down the St.
Cliff Grassmick Daily Camera
A bridge collapse on a business access road at U.S. 287 and Dillon Road in Lafayette on Sept. 12 caused three vehicles to fall into the creek.
On Page 22 Lewis Geyer Longmont Times-Call
Separated from his pickup due to flooding along Price Road at Boston Avenue in Longmont, Don Potter stands Sept. 12 on a washed-out railroad track.
Matthew Jonas Longmont Times-Call
Floodwaters cover much of the roadway Sept. 14 near Dudley Lane and Hayden Court in Longmont.
Facebook photo
Wesley Quinlan and his girlfriend, Wiyanna Nelson, died in the flood.
Vrain Greenway at 8 p.m., fearing isolated flooding. Earlier, the city’s public works director, Dale Rademacher, had walked that greenway with City Manager Harold Dominguez. “Dale said, ‘You know, they’re predicting four to six inches with this.’ And we both went, ‘This could be an issue,’ ” Dom-
inguez told the Longmont Times-Call. Back in Boulder, the tone on the city’s Facebook page would shift with the next posting: “Street flooding is occurring in parts of the City of Boulder. Motorists are urged to avoid driving through flooded areas.” Sam Sussman owns Eight Days a Week Imaging at 840 Pearl St. with his wife, Cheryl. They are no strangers to the sometimes-vicious whims of nature. Their family’s home on Sugarloaf Mountain was incinerated to its foundation in the Fourmile Fire. They now live in Eldorado Springs. “Cheryl went up to a friend’s house in Nederland Wednesday night, and she assured me she was going to leave there at 8:30,” Sam Sussman said. “She didn’t leave until a little after 9, and narrowly made it down the canyon. “I said, ‘Do you girls ever listen to the (expletive) news?’ “She said, ‘No.’ ” Meanwhile, after two-plus days of steady rain, CU officials could see they were looking at a rapidly deteriorating situation. Louise Vale, vice chancellor for administration, said emergency staff members were
Residents trying to get to the north side of Longmont wade Sept. 12 on inundated Hover Street during the first full day of flooding in Boulder County. Photo by Lewis Geyer l Longmont Times-Call
called in at 8 p.m. “I was talking with communications, I was talking with the police department and the facilities management crew about how bad it was, what were they were seeing, and were they going to be able to keep up,” she said. The university sent out its first campuswide text alert at 8:42 p.m., advising of a flash-flood warning in effect for the next two hours, and telling recipients to move to upper levels or higher ground on foot — as well as to avoid driving or crossing Boulder Creek. There were widespread reports of students playing “slip and slide” on Farrand Field and tubing in tunnels on campus. At 9:20 p.m., a flash-flood warning was in effect for Boulder and parts of Boulder County until 10:45 p.m., with continuing rain expected. The city of Boulder, at 10:01 p.m., activated flood sirens near Boulder Creek, urging anyone near the waterway to seek higher ground immediately. Don’t try to cross the creek by any means, people were told. It was shortly after 10 p.m. that CU launched its first wave of evacuations, with door-to-door notices by family housing managers and campus police at Faculty-Staff Court, Athens Court and the first floors of Newton Court and Marine Street. A total of 381 were forced to temporarily relocate. “We already had a plan in place for people living there, which has been practiced — they know where they live and they are very much aware of the (flood) potential,” Vale said. “I can’t imagine any of those people would say they wouldn’t leave.” Boulder police officers now saw street flooding in the areas of 17th and 18th streets on University Hill, Baseline Road and Foothills Parkway, 28th Street underpasses, Ninth Street and Alpine Avenue, Manhattan Drive and Baseline. Rain was pounding the Fourmile Fire burn area. “The thing that was somewhat of a surprise to everyone was the set-up of the really, really, really, heavy, heavy, heavy, rain over the foothills,” said Glancy, of the National Weather Service. “Some areas were getting close to their annual rainfall in a three-day period. This was so far out of the ordinary. “This was an extremely rare event.” At 10:30 p.m., the National Weather Service updated the flash-flood warning, extendSee SITUATION, 27
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 27Z
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Cliff Grassmick Daily Camera
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
The Summit County Rescue team works to save Suzanne Sophocles, center, from her severely flooded home Sept. 13 on Streamcrest Drive in Boulder.
Cortney Perez, of Lyons, pets her dog while one of her birds rests on her shoulder Sept. 15 at the LifeBridge Church in Longmont. The church provided food and shelter for families and pets.
RISING WATER FORCES EVACUATIONS
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SITUATION WORSENS
ing it to 12:45 a.m. Thursday. Wiyanna Nelson and Wesley Quinlan, both 19, were driving with two friends back to the city down Linden Drive from a birthday party in the hills northwest of Boulder shortly after 11 p.m. Raging water and mud surged around their Subaru. Stuck, three of the car’s occupants — Nelson and Quinlan, as well as Nathan Jennings — got out to seek help, while the fourth friend, Emily Briggs, stayed in the car. Nelson and Quinlan were overcome by the raging creek outside and killed as they were swept away. Briggs, who had stayed in the car, survived, as did Jennings. The situation was worsening in other parts of Boulder County, as well. Just before midnight, Longmont public works director Rademacher called Dominguez, the city manager, alerting him to the building danger of flooding in the city. Dominguez had been watching coverage of the weather on television. Soon after Rademacher called him, Dominguez brought emergency manager Dan Eamon into the conversation with a conference call. The decision was made to activate the city’s emergency operations center. “What we didn’t know (at the time), or fully appreciate, was the depth of this thing,” Rademacher told the Times-Call. In Lyons, former Longmont Times-Call photographer Greg Lindstrom was monitoring the area of the St. Vrain River bridge at U.S. 36. “You could hear debris in the water slamming into and rubbing against the bridge,” Lindstrom said. “For the next hour, it kept raining very hard, and you could see the water continue to rise. I remember being pretty worried about getting stuck where we were.” Just before midnight, a heavy mudslide in Fourmile Canyon rendered the road impassable at Colo. 119 and Gold Hill. There were several inches of water on the roadway. Across the foothills to the south, Gibson, the Four Mile Fire chief, was getting increasingly worried. Rain measurements had reached three-quarters of an inch per half-hour. In Jamestown, Little James Creek was quickly swelling into a rushing river five times its normal width and many times its normal speed. From the mountains to the city streets, the words of Boulder City Manager Jane Brautigam best summarized the deteriorating situation: “It was all hands on deck.”
Thursday, Sept. 12: Quickly going from bad to worse Little James Creek began ripping buildings from their foundations and sending roofs plunging into basements. One of those buildings belonged to Joseph Howlett, 72, former owner of the Jamestown Mercantile. Howlett was believed to be crushed to death early Thursday when his home collapsed on him after it was pummeled by rushing waters for hours. His body was finally pulled from the rubble six days later. In north Boulder early Thursday, Alli Jones cursed to herself as she stood at the top of her stairs looking down to the first floor of her home on 17th Street across from Crest View Elementary. Water was flooding her first floor. Earlier, Jones had heard the emergency bulletins. Her first plan had been — denial. She had retreated to the second floor to do some work. But by 1 a.m., she figured she’d better take a look downstairs. “I thought, ‘What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to turn the power off? Am I supposed to leave the lights on?’ I
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
A woman who asked not to be identified carries her two children while being evacuated from Olde Stage Road on Sept. 14 by the Juniper Valley Fire Crew.
Paul Aiken Daily Camera
Evan Russack, with his son Trevor, 6, look over Pennsylvania Ave on Sept. 14 on University Hill, which was cut in two by flooding.
thought, ‘If I stand in the water, will I get electrocuted?’ ” Soon, she was outside, aided by a family friend, digging trenches around the house. The dark was animated by dozens of teenagers and their parents, some equipped with headlamps, sandbagging, digging, rushing in a frenzy to stem the same floodwaters that were wreaking havoc on their neighborhood school. In Longmont, just after 1 a.m., police began knocking on doors at the Royal Mobile Home Park near the St. Vrain River, warning people to get out. “That one was probably the one we were most concerned about,” said Longmont emergency manager Dan Eamon. In the foothills, emergency workers set up roadblocks in Fourmile Canyon, sent out notifications to residents and began communicating with Office of Emergency Management personnel in Boulder about what they were seeing around them. “Because anything that falls in the mountains ends up in the city,” Gibson said. In the city, Boulder Creek was, by 1:13 a.m., roaring at a rate of 3,104 cubic feet per second, according to Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner. Two days before, it had been flowing at a leisurely 54 cfs. At 1:40 a.m., CU officials issued a text alert ordering faculty and staff residents living in university housing near Boulder Creek to evacuate. Soon, CU and the Boulder Valley School District would both announce they were closing down. An evacuation order in the North St. Vrain Canyon in Lyons forced residents from their homes about 2:30 a.m. Among those doing so were Gerald Boland and his wife, Cheron, who set out for a friend’s home in Hygiene.
Gerald Boland, 80, never got there. At some point, Boland turned his car around, stopping at Lyons Elementary. He had taught there for 30 years. The school was now an evacuation shelter. He was one of the first to arrive, turning on the lights for the stream of evacuees who soon would be arriving. It’s not known when he left the school, but he was not spotted again. Boland’s badly battered truck would be discovered about 200 yards downstream from his home, and his body was finally recovered a week later in the St. Vrain River bed. About the time that the Bolands evacuated from their home, Longmont activated its Emergency Operations Center. “What we didn’t know (at the time), or fully appreciate, was the depth of this thing,” said public works director Rademacher. The center was up and running by 2:30 a.m. Daylight brought a brief respite in the rainfall in Fourmile Canyon, enough for Gibson and his crew to take stock of the damage wrought to roads and infrastructure overnight. “We had significant road cuts, we had very high streamflows, and access to the canyon was threatened or completely cut off,” he said. Gibson put out a call to Longmont search-and-rescue crews for some help in making contact with residents, some of whom were trapped behind walls of mud or isolated by gutted roads. It was to no avail. “When we called on them, they were already deployed for search-and-rescue operations in Hygiene and Lyons,” he said. About 5 a.m., Sheriff Joe Pelle asked that people stay off the roads in Boulder County that day: Many intersections were impassable, and crews needed access without traffic to respond to urgent calls. And the rain wouldn’t stop. A firefighter trapped in a tree in Lefthand Canyon — where he spent much of the day, barely surviving — reported a 15- to 20-foot “wall of water” surging through the canyon. Up at the Cal-Wood Center near Jamestown, Burgert, the fifth-grade teacher, woke at 5:45 a.m. Going to the shower, she heard camp Executive Director Rafael Salgado on a two-way radio. “I heard him saying, ‘We need to figure out how to notify the principal and the school district,’ and I didn’t hear much else after that,” she said. “I thought, ‘Somebody’s hurt.’ The blood rushed out of me. I was actually relieved to find out
what the reason was, because I had no idea what the situation was” down in the city. The situation virtually everywhere was quickly going from bad to worse. Leyla Jacobs ventured from her Jamestown home Thursday morning and headed toward town with her son when they saw that Little James Creek was now a turgid river. “My 17-year-old son said, ‘This is like Armageddon,’ ” she said. “We saw propane tanks that were just shooting down the river.” In Hygiene, a widening St. Vrain River hit the town and mixed with the water in the ponds at Pella Crossing, causing massive flooding along 75th Street. Picking up water from gravel ponds between Hygiene and Longmont, flooding was now headed straight for the neighborhoods east of Airport Road between Ninth and Mountain View avenues. To the west, Lyons was completely isolated by floodwaters. “I knew a dam had breached above Lyons,” said Lindstrom, the photographer in that town. “I remember being kind of freaked out.” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said at a media briefing: “This is not your ordinary day. It is not your ordinary disaster.” And, he cautioned, “This event is not over. It’s far from over. It’s continuing to build.” “I was advising people the initial peak was going to hit the city at 8 in the morning,” Longmont’s Rademacher said. But 8 a.m. came and the water in his city, too, was still rising. The NWS forecast, issued for Denver/ Boulder at 9:41 a.m. Thursday, underscored Pelle’s words. It read, in part, “NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO ... 941 AM MDT THU SEP 12 2013/ UPDATE/ MAJOR FLOODING/FLASH FLOODING EVENT UNDERWAY AT THIS TIME WITH BIBLICAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS REPORTED IN MANY AREAS IN/NEAR THE FOOTHILLS — THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD.” “I’ve been here since 1989, and this was the most significant widespread heavy precipitation I have seen,” said meteorologist Glancy. Just before 11 a.m., CU extended the closure of the Boulder campus through Friday, calling the weather in a text alert “unpredictable.” Saturday’s home football game versus Fresno State now was in jeopardy. It would be the first game cancellation since 9/11, the second since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Sussman, at his shop at Ninth and Pearl streets, recalled that about 11 a.m., “Someone at the St. Julien Hotel said, ‘We’re evacuating the spa, and there was a wall of water coming down Boulder Canyon.’ We listened to the rumor and sent all the employees home — and then we realized, we’d sent everybody home on a rumor.” A large surge of water was reported by the Office of Emergency Management at 11:30 a.m. at Logan Mill in Fourmile Creek, exploding from 100 cubic feet per second to 1,000 cfs. Residents downstream were advised to climb to higher ground. Evacuation centers began opening for Boulder, Longmont, Jamestown, Lyons and Nederland. Gurpreet Gill, a three-year resident of Salina, a town at the junction of Fourmile Canyon and Gold Run Road, had spent the early hours of Thursday placing sandbags around her home and listening to boulders crashing down the creek. By afternoon, her only escape from her property was about to get swept away. “My bridge had washed out, and my shed See RESIDENTS, 29
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Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
A rescue helicopter flies over Jamestown on Tuesday.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera Paul Aiken Daily Camera
From left, Dan Feldheim, Scott Hoffenberg and John Smart pass sandbags as residents reinforce the dam on Seventh Street on University Hill on Sept. 15.
Two women laugh after being rescued Tuesday near Jamestown by a helicopter crew with the 2-4 GSAB 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Carson.
CANCELLATIONS, DISRUPTIONS AND CONFUSION
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Neighbor Birdie Reznickek, right, passes wood to Kate McCarthy, 11, as they clean up a flood-damaged basement Sept. 14 at McCarthy’s home on Qualla Drive in Boulder. 1.2 1.0 0.8
Sugarloaf rainfall Boulder Creek at Broadway gage
0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 9/9 9/10 9/11 9/12 9/13 9/14 9/15 9/16 9/17
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Creek stage height, feet
had fallen in,” she said. Gill moved her car closer to her home once water had reached the top of the tires and then went to a friend’s house to discuss what to do next. “We sat there watching this massive wall of water coming down,” she said. “We saw a car, we saw a boat, we saw a propane tank.” Gill decided to move to higher ground — her next-door neighbors’ house — where she monitored rising water levels using her car as a giant measuring stick. The Camera tweeted word at 3:23 p.m. from the U.S. Geological Survey that the storm now qualified as what most refer to as a 100-year flood, although that agency no longer uses that terminology. That determination was based on a creek flow of 4,500 cfs Thursday morning on Boulder Creek at North 75th Street. Flooding issues by now had caused so many problems at the Longmont wastewater treatment plant that it was shut down and evacuated. At the NWS data collection point near the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as of 6 p.m. it showed a staggering 9.08 inches of rain had fallen since 6 p.m. Wednesday. It was the highest oneday total on record for Boulder, swamping the previous record of 4.80 inches on July 31, 1919. Boulder police found themselves no longer able to respond to burglar alarms, harassment calls, traffic accidents and the other routine calls that typically make up the day. “We got information that Four Mile Creek was flooding north Boulder, Boulder Creek was flooding central Boulder, and that Gregory Canyon was flooding parts of the Hill,” Beckner said. “We were scratching our heads over that one, because we had never planned for flooding that high up on the Hill.” Also, the chief said, “We were finding the flooding was worse than the data would indicate. What we were getting in the streets didn’t match what the charts told us should be happening.” The water surging down from the high country was a big problem. But it wasn’t the whole problem. “What we had always trained on and practiced on and talked about, was, ‘What if a cell sets up over Fourmile, or Boulder Creek, and dumps 6 inches of rain in an hour? Here’s what to expect,’ ” Beckner said. “But the scenario we had was that the whole region was getting dumped on.” As the night wore on, a Colorado Department of Transportation staffer tried to head up Boulder Canyon but was unable to get anywhere. The second reported mudslide of the night, near the mouth of the canyon, blocked any westward progress. Police were getting reports that floodwater was redirecting out of Boulder Creek. Now, it was rushing down Canyon Boulevard. “We had a river on the north side of the creek. It looked like rapids were running across Central Park,” Beckner said. Arapahoe Road at 55th Street was under water. So was Foothills Highway at Baseline, and Table Mesa Drive, too. Police could no longer man every compro-
Rainfall, inches/hour
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RESIDENTS STRUGGLE
Graphic courtesy of CIRES Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado. Data: Sugarloaf RAWS via Western Regional Climate Center: Colorado Department of Water Resources (Boulder Creek gage).
mised intersection, and many had to be abandoned in order to handle the truly urgent calls. “We just had to depend on the barricades and cones to do the job, and hoped people had the common sense not to drive through the water,” Beckner said. At 10:15 p.m., an emergency announcement was broadcast downtown that the section of the city from the mouth of Boulder Canyon east to Broadway, and from Marine Street north to Pearl Street, was now being ordered to evacuate. Some residents would hear it clearly, others would hear it as unintelligible garble. Beckner later said he didn’t know how many people actually did evacuate — and would likely never know. “What are you going to do?” asked the chief. “We called for an evacuation, but mandatory? You’re not going to arrest people who don’t leave. We were telling people to evacuate. But if you don’t listen to us, at least we told you.” Boulder police average 318 calls for service each day. On Thursday, there were 532. The department on a typical day receives 546 phone calls. On Thursday, there were 2,955. As midnight drew close, Beckner hopped in a Boulder police Ford Explorer with Deputy Police Chief Greg Testa and Deputy Fire Chief Mike Calderazzo. Through streets filled with water and nearly devoid of traffic, they toured some of the city’s more critically affected areas. “Even having had the reports from the field, once I saw with my own eyes what was going on, I was amazed at the amount of water coming down through
the western Hill neighborhoods,” Beckner said. At Ninth and Arapahoe, “We sat there watching. We had waterfalls coming off people’s yards, falling off people’s yards, into the streets.” Meanwhile in Salina, Gill had moved with neighbors Michelle Wieber and Eric Stevens and their two sons to a guesthouse a little farther up the hill from the couple’s home. Another couple, Michelle Grainger and Steve Le Goff, joined them for the night. Gill, equipped with a flashlight, kept watch on the rising water as her neighbors tried to settle down for a fitful night of sleep while Mother Nature raged outside. As she returned from a quick trip to the bathroom outside, she heard a sound unlike anything else she had heard all day. “What could that be?” she said, as she hurried back inside.
Friday, Sept. 13: ‘The mud kept sucking him down’ A wall of mud had slid down the hillside behind them, smashing through the back of the house and burying Stevens and Wieber. Wieber managed to pull herself out from the muck, but Stevens was stuck, both of his legs cemented in the mud. It was 1 a.m. For the next 2 1 ⁄ 2 hours, life would be “sheer hell,” Gill said, as she and her three neighbors desperately tried to extract Stevens from the mud that engulfed him. They used spatulas and bowls from Gill’s kitchen to try to move the mud to free him. They also used their hands, scraping their fingers raw in the process. “The mud kept sucking him down as we were digging,” Gill said. “And all the while, there’s a fear the house could collapse on us.” Gill called 911 but was told there was no way anyone could get to where they were. She was finally able to get through to a neighbor on the phone. With three additional men digging at the mud pile surrounding Stevens, they got him free. It was 3:30 a.m.
Throughout Fourmile Canyon, the infrastructure was degrading along with the conditions. Gibson, the Four Mile fire chief, said he had men stationed throughout his district, watching drainages and roads, but they were unable to make progress rescuing residents while the rain fell in by the buckets and the creek roared out of control. “We don’t float better than the average civilian,” he said. Also unable to move as well that Friday morning was Rod Mohney, who was trying to reach his girlfriend’s house across Little James Creek from his rented cabin. A mudslide had draped itself across Main Street, blocking his way. “I was 100 yards away from her, but I couldn’t reach her,” the 51-year-old roofer said. Returning to his cabin about 1 a.m., Mohney realized he didn’t have much time left before the water would be up to his doorstep. He packed his guns, some clothes and headed for higher ground. Within hours, the creek had unhinged his cabin from its foundation and tipped it on its side. Mohney managed to find what little humor he could in the moment. “I always wanted my cabin closer to the creek, but I didn’t want it that close,” he said. Up the hill from Mohney at Cal-Wood, a gray dawn heralded a grave situation for the elementary schoolkids trapped there. They were told that road conditions had degraded so badly the only way out would be by helicopter — but that it likely wouldn’t happen until Saturday. “That’s when there were some tears,” Burgert recalled. “But the other kids did such a beautiful job of consoling. The other kids really got it, and one of the parents really pointed out that people deal with different things in different ways, and kids really took that on and embraced it.” By Friday morning, Beckner implemented a decision he’d arrived at late the previous night: Officers were assigned on 12-hour shifts. The department hadn’t been forced to do that since riots rocked the Hill neighborhood in 1997. On the campus at CU, where an emergency services policy group had been gathering three times a day to update the situation, the midday meeting — with some of the dozen or so participants “attending” by phone because they couldn’t get there — was focused in part on the day ahead. Some 30,000 people or more were expected to show up for the football game. Playing the game with limited or no attendance, playing the game elsewhere or postponing it were all on the table, said Vale, the vice chancellor for administration. “We always look at safety first,” Vale said. “The other piece was whether we would have law enforcement at that game. We knew at that point we weren’t going to be able to provide security for people coming to the game. And by Friday, we thought we couldn’t really predict when it was going to stop raining.” Additionally, Boulder had become increasingly isolated by a seemingly endless wave of road and highway closures. CU police tweeted out from their account at 12:13 p.m. that the game with Fresno State was off, because of logistical challenges from the Boulder flood. The campus, See RECOVERY, 30
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2013 FLOOD LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM HISTORIC RAINFALL
RECOVERY, REBUILDING
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too, would remain closed. Later in the afternoon, Sussman went from his downtown Boulder business back to the home on Eldorado Springs Drive that he and his wife bought with insurance money after losing everything but their cars and the clothes on their backs in the Fourmile Fire. “It’s raining like a (expletive), and there’s just a deluge of water,” Sussman said. “The community ditch broke, and water is just pouring through our property. By 6, the water is up to the door.” However, he said, “There wasn’t really a sense of panic. Where, with a fire, you get burned if you don’t leave, the water just wasn’t high enough to be panicked about.” A lot of people across the region by now were in the same situation. Not all of them, like Sussman, had quintuple bypass surgery just a few months ago. “The neighbors (Steve Johnston, along with sons Ben and Nick) helped me, digging holes, moving big timbers, cutting fences and redirecting water to stabilize the situation. They were the cavalry, and Steve was the head of the cavalry.” Up in Salina, Gill found herself resting her aching limbs at the home she and her neighbor friends had hiked to from the mud-filled horror scene they had experienced that morning. She remembers toweling off her cat, herself, and then resting for the first time in as long as she could remember. “I just lay down on the ground and I was filled with a sense of, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” she said. “’Did that just happen?’ ” A few hours later, Gill was on the move again, hiking up to Melvina Hill with search-and-rescue personnel and then being driven over to Monument Hill, where she was led on to a Black Hawk helicopter and flown to Boulder Municipal Airport. The National Guard started pulling people out of Jamestown in the afternoon. About a half-dozen flights also lifted off out of Salina on Friday afternoon, Gibson said, with the old, the injured and the exhausted getting first seats on the choppers. He had teams of rescuers trying to find anyone who needed help. And those they didn’t find, he was poised to find the next day. “They stayed in place so that at first light they could start operations again,” Gibson said.
Saturday, Sept. 14: Largest U.S. airlift since Katrina The weather broke Saturday. And while the day would turn out to be a big improvement over Friday, the chaos hadn’t quite played itself out yet. About 1 a.m., Sussman learned that residents of Eldorado Springs were under an evacuation order. “But we looked outside and it was calm. There was no rushing water,” Sussman said. “So we went back to bed.” Later that morning, the Sussmans had another experience that was quickly becoming commonplace throughout the county. They looked in their crawlspace and saw what their neighbor estimated to be 20,000 gallons of water. They did not have flood insurance. About 9 a.m., the first Lyons-to-Longmont convoy reached the Colo. 66 barricade at 75th Street. Evacuees were shuttled to LifeBridge Christian Church. “There was a pretty much audible sigh,” said the Rev. Drew Depler. “But people are weathering it. They’ve been through a lot by now.” Back in Jamestown, the Cal-Wood group had been notified that the children should be readied in groups of 20 for loading onto helicopters. At 11 a.m., the first chopper appeared. “The guy said, ‘Give me 28 people.’ They were early, and I had not made groups of 28. We had made groups of 20,” Burgert said. “He said, ‘Hurry, give us as many as you can; our fuel is precious.’ ... Some of the kids got on Black Hawks with their parents, and most of us were on Chinooks. I ended going out with the last kids on the fourth group.” The skies over western Boulder County were alive on the first sunny morning in five days, as the National Guard mounted an airlift operation from Boulder Municipal Airport. Lt. Mitch Utterback believed it to be the largest undertaken on U.S. soil since Hurricane Katrina. By the end of the day, the total evacuated from the battered mountain communities would reach more than 1,200, including some 500 who were driven out of Lyons, one of the most heavily damaged towns. “It is the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen,” said Sally Van Meter, who lives on a hill just outside downtown Lyons. When the Cal-Wood crew started land-
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Meg McCroskey sits in front of her destroyed home Thursday in the town of Salina on Gold Run Road.
Boulder County flood statistics Deaths: 4 People unaccounted for: 0 Homes destroyed: 3,854 Homes damaged: 557 Commercial properties damaged: 87 Commercial properties destroyed: 4 Total properties assessed: 5,592 People evacuated by air: 1,102 People evacuated by road: 707 Miles of county roads damaged: Approx: 150 Cost to replace damaged county roads: $100 million to $150 million Source: Boulder County Office of Emergency Management preliminary report
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Trudy Nickola throws a piece of carpet into a pile of flood-damaged property Wednesday in North Boulder Park.
For more flood photos and video, go to dailycamera.com ing in waves of choppers at the city’s airport, there was exultation. “We landed and there was a line of emergency personnel, firefighter-type people, all in their gear, and they were slapping hands with the kids as they walked toward the terminal,” Burgert said. Fourmile Canyon saw great progress Saturday. Search-and-rescue crews had surveyed every structure in the area, Gibson said. They may not have reached every front door, but they had laid eyes on every home. “By the end of light Saturday, we had done a primary search of Sunshine, Fourmile and Gold Hill districts,” he said. They also had begun to get a sense of the scope of the destruction in their midst. Gibson said his crew documented numerous damaged and destroyed buildings and roads that had simply disappeared under water or a debris field. Gold Run Road got the worst of it, he said. “There was a canyon where the road used to be,” Gibson said Late Saturday night, Longmont’s Public Works and Natural Resources Department, working with the Army Corps of Engineers, cut a ditch redirecting water that had been pouring into Longmont neighborhoods near Airport Road back into the St. Vrain River channel.
Sunday, Sept. 15: A final downpour — and frustration Sunday morning started out looking as foreboding as the six days preceding, with the city of Boulder again on a flashflood watch extending to 6 p.m. At 5:35 a.m., the Colorado Office of Emergency Management announced that late the previous night, President Barack Obama had issued a disaster declaration for Boulder County, ordering federal aid for county residents, to complement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, land-
slides and mudslides. Within a few days, more than 7,600 county residents would be applying for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The rain returned by mid-morning Sunday, and soon it was coming down once again in sheets, grounding rescue helicopters and pushing area homeowners to the brink. Rain persisted well into the afternoon before it finally relented. Sheriff Pelle didn’t sugarcoat things as the cloud cover again dropped low over the foothills. “The major thing we’re dealing with is frustration — frustration that we can’t fly,” he said. “Eighty percent of what we are trying to accomplish can only be done by air, and pilots and crews are sitting on their hands.” Gibson, the fire chief, said rescues out of Fourmile Canyon continued Sunday, but by ground rather than air. “We were hampered by a lack of aircraft,” he said. “We had to hike out more people than we wanted. We felt that come Monday, we would keep the operation going so that everyone who wanted to get out, needed to get out, got out.” Frustration prevailed for the Boulder Valley School District, with transportation and structural worries triggering the announcement that schools would remain closed Monday and Tuesday. CU, however, made official its decision late Sunday afternoon to reopen Monday for classes and normal business operations, signaling a return to something like normalcy for the state’s flagship university. As the day wound down, so did the rainfall, stopping by late afternoon, bringing a sense of relief that, however bad it was, it shouldn’t get any worse.
Long road to recovery It would rain just a bit more Monday morning, bringing Boulder’s precipitation total for the year so far to 30.14 inches, topping the city’s record for an entire
year, which had been 29.93 inches in 1995. From Sept. 9 through Sept. 16, the storm dropped 17.15 inches of rain on Boulder. With the rain’s end, the long road to recovery began. Sussman, whose family has endured both cataclysmic fire and ravaging rain in the past three years, said, “I’ve learned if you’re gonna be in a disaster, you want to be in Boulder, Colorado, because you find out that people here are actually nice.” Miraculously, Boulder would learn that no one in the city limits was killed. In Longmont, too, no lives were lost. Beckner was asked, if the city survived this, could it survive anything? “I wouldn’t ever say that,” he said. But countywide the damage was considerable, and in some locations staggering. Communities such as Salina, Jamestown and Lyons are projecting a comeback will takes months — at least — and some neighborhoods in Longmont, too, face long roads to recovery Russ Schumacher, an assistant professor in the atmospheric science department at Colorado State University, calculated that the rain the city of Boulder experienced has a less than 1-in-1,000 chance of happening in any year. That, he acknowledged, would translate to what would commonly be termed a 1,000-year rain event. “Based on what we know about the rainfall, and since we have all the rainfall data, essentially that is a straightforward call, to find that the chance of this amount of rain occurring in this area is probably less than one in 1,000 in any given year,” Schumacher said. Glancy, at the National Weather Service, said analysis of this storm will continue for a long time to come, but he is already comfortable saying it exceeded Boulder’s flood of May 1969 — the previous largest flood most people living here can recall. “This is one for the record books,” Glancy said. “There already has been discussion whether this was a 100- or 1,000-year event ... we know it is somewhere in excess of a 100-year flood.” Boulder County, battered and more than a little bruised, had withstood perhaps the greatest storm many of its residents will ever see — the kind of storm they’d been warned of for decades. Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum summed it up this way: “We will learn from this. And we will be better.”
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2013 FLOOD
Daily Camera File Photo
In 1969, Jamestown residents threw junked cars into James Creek in order to protect the historic buildings in their mountain town.
Then, AS NOW
Numerous floods cut swaths of devastation, sorrow in county
W
hen a flood hit the Boulder County mining community of Salina in 1890, a young Englishman fell into the churning waters while trying to save his wife. Both were swept away. More than 120 years later, in an eerie echo of that tragic event, Wesley Quinlan and Wiyanna Nelson, drowned after being swept away in a deluge after leaving their stranded Subaru. As families struggle with grief and dislocation, and exhausted communities make plans to rebuild, a look back shows that deadly, townwrecking floods have been a constant in the area’s history, with news accounts dating to early settlement days. Here’s a glimpse of the major ones.
‘Windows of Heaven opened’ On May 31, 1894, after melting snow and pounding rains, the rising waters of Boulder Creek and its tributaries poured into Boulder, then a city of 5,000 people. “The windows of Heaven opened and Boulder was submerged,” wrote Camera editor L.C. Paddock, adding that Boulder Creek was “on a rampage.” When residents surveyed the damage, they found that the commercial district along Pearl Street and the homes of the well-to-do on Mapleton Hill had been spared. The railroad yards and the low-lying neighborhoods (the homes of immigrants, minorities and prostitutes) along parts of today’s Canyon Boulevard, however, were under several feet of water. The Camera carried the story of a “madam” rescued by a Boulder police officer. A few blocks upstream, currents had twisted the railroad bridge at 4th Street into
Photos from Carnegie Branch Library for Local History l Boulder Historical Society collection
A couple of people view the flood-damaged swimming pool after the 1938 flood in Eldorado Springs.
Erie residents sort through debris in 1921.
Boulder County’s major floods SILVIA PETTEM
Boulder County History
a semicircle. Debris piled up, and bridges at Sixth, Ninth, 12th (now Broadway), and 17th Streets collapsed like dominoes. Residents on each side of the raging current were not without ingenuity, however. They rigged a makeshift pulley to hoist kegs of beer from the Crystal Springs Brewery on 9th Street to thirsty customers downtown. Boulder County Sheriff Warren Dyer, traveling on horseback, surveyed damage near Lyons and told a newspaper reporter that his view to the east was “a lake three miles wide, all the way to Longmont.” Salina, Jamestown, and other mountain towns were especially hard hit, as well. The narrow-gauge railroad line that ran the length of Fourmile Canyon was so washed out that it was unable to run for the next four years.
End of ‘Switzerland Trail’ The mountain railroad reopened in 1898, eventually reaching both Eldora and Ward. By 1919, though, it operated on shaky financial ground. Then, heavy rains on July 30 pounded the foothills, and Fourmile Canyon was again flooded. Even though most of the railroad’s damaged roadbed and bridges were confined to the area between Boulder and Crisman, the line was sold for salvage. No longer would the former “Switzerland Trail” haul supplies to
During the flood of 1894, water spread out over the railroad yard in downtown Boulder. Highland School is visible on the south side of Boulder Creek. As residents worked together on the cleanup, Camera editor L.C. Paddock reflected, “One touch of Nature makes the world kin.”
mountain towns or take flatland tourists to see stunning views of the Continental Divide. According to Camera reports at the time, Boulder received 4.8 inches of rain in a single night. A motorist made news when he had to have his automobile pulled out of the mud by a team of horses. Water from South St. Vrain Canyon inundated Lyons, where it was noted that the only dry place was a church. Residents assembled in the sanctuary while riding out the storm.
Piano gone, along with the house Much of Colorado’s Front Range was affected by the flood of 1921, with the worst damage and loss of life in Pueblo, in southern Colorado. But Boulder County, particularly the plains, saw plenty of water, as well. Beginning on June 2, floodwaters spilled from Coal Creek Canyon and spread out over Erie, Lafayette and Louisville, while Boulder Creek and the North and South St. Vrain creeks swamped Longmont. Photographer Charles F. Snow took his camera to
Erie to survey the conditions. When he arrived, most of Erie was under 4 feet of water that carried away everything in its path including houses, buildings and livestock. One farmer lost 26 head of cattle and several hogs and chickens. Another man had just purchased a brand new piano and moved it into his home. After the flood, no trace of the house or the piano could be found. The flooded area varied from a few hundred feet in width to a half a mile or more. In Lafayette, three houses were washed from their foundations near the Standard mine. Many of the coal miners who had been living in the lowlands along the creek had nothing left but their land.
Last dance Following a heavy rain on Sept. 2, 1938, South Boulder Creek spilled into the thenresort town of Eldorado Springs. Residents rushed from their homes and sat all night on the mountainside. At the time, the community’s main attraction was its dance hall, where big band leader Glenn Miller had
May 31-June 2, 1894: countywide impact July 30-Aug. 1, 1919: Boulder and the foothills June 2-6, 1921: Eastern county Sept. 2, 1938: Eldorado Springs May 6-7, 1969: Jamestown Sept. 9-16, 2013: countywide impact
played there as part of Holly Moyer’s Jazz Band when Miller was a University of Colorado student in the early 1920s. The dance hall burned in 1929 but had been quickly rebuilt in 1930. On the night of the flood, 11 University of Kansas musicians, known as the Matt Betton Orchestra, were tuning up for one of the final performances of their fiveweek contract. One of the band members told a reporter they managed to save two saxophones. Then they, too, joined the crowd and watched as the dance hall was swept downstream. By then, water in front of the town’s post office was 4 feet deep, and falling rocks from the steep canyon walls knocked two houses off of their foundations. The following morning, two of the orchestra members walked to the town of Marshall, where they hitched a ride into Boulder to report the damage. In state-of-the-art communications for the time, the men gave first-hand descriptions over a short-wave radio from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. Their report was then rebroadcast to a larger audience by a Denver radio station.
‘The strangest things floated by’ Heavy rains stalled over Jamestown on May 6, 1969. Current Boulder County resident Jeanney Horn lived in the mountain town at time. “I watched, mesmerized,” she said, “as the strangest things floated by ... refrigerators, cars, houses, outhouses, fences, propane tanks and massive trees, their roots sticking up high out of the water.” Horn lost some personal belongings, but she had friends who lost everything. As in the recent flood, there was no viable access in or out. Residents were stranded without power or drinking water. One man fell into the creek, suffered a serious head injury and lost an eye. At least two women were expecting babies, and one of the women was three weeks overdue. She was evacuated by an Estes Park doctor who managed to get a military vehicle down Overland Road. Two other doctors hiked the 15 miles from Boulder to treat the injured man, who could not be moved. People cheered when a helicopter brought in bread, milk and cheese, as well as 200 gunny sacks for sandbagging. As residents built dams, they also dumped old cars into the raging waters to build a make-shift dike that protected the church, town hall and mercantile building. Again, the townsfolk joined together to rebuild, as Jamestown and every other flooddamaged community had done before. Horn returned years later, amazed to find that in the collective memory of the residents, the flood (like the floodwaters) had faded into the past. — History columnist Carol Taylor contributed to this story.
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2013 FLOOD
Boulder: We’re all in this together By Jane Brautigam and Matt Appelbaum For the Camera
This — and other work ahead of us — is not easy or inexpensive, and we are so grateful for the assistance The following is a letter to from federal, state and counthe public from Boulder City ty authorities, as well as all Manager Jane Brautigam and Mayor Matt Appelbaum: of our partWe have long known that nerships with comthe city of Boulder is the most vulnerable community munity organizations, in Colorado for flooding, in business enlarge part because of Boulder Creek and the high den- tities, nonprofits, sity population that borders church it. Appelbaum What has happened in our groups, the university community in the past two and local weeks, however, has been school disnothing short of extraorditricts. Renary. The impact of this unprecedented storm has been covering felt far beyond just the down- from this town corridor, and while we disaster will truly take a know we have neighbors in village, and the county and region with Brautigam here in even worse devastation, Boulder, we are fortunate to many individuals, neighborhoods, businesses and large have so many in our commuparts of our public infrastruc- nity who are willing and able ture in the city have been af- to help. Much of the assistance fected. has been as pure as it gets The No. 1 thing we want — neighbor to neighbor. you to know is that we unWe’ve heard stories from all derstand that for many peoacross town about people ple in Boulder, life is not coming to each other’s aid. business as usual. You have needs from your One woman in Martin Acres told us about college stulocal government that trandents who live on her block scend our usual services. climbing on her roof as the We are on it. We have had crews and employees workrain poured down, helping ing around the clock and will her bail out flooded gutters. continue to maintain a level Others have opened their of urgency as we work todoors to displaced residents, gether to recover. offering shelter, food and a Since Day 1, we have been place to rest amid the chaos. taking steps to address urMakeshift basement brigent water and wastewater gades have pulled literally needs; make quick fixes to tons of carpet and drywall roads and paths with plans out of homes. for more permanent repairs This is what Boulder is all as soon as possible; re-open about. as many recreation parks, liThe outpouring of more braries, city parks and open coordinated volunteer offers space trails as we can safely; has also been amazing, and and keep you informed. we are working to establish
a list of opportunities for individuals to give their times in ways that make the biggest impact while not putting them in harm’s way. In addition to the donation of time, what flood survivors need now is money — both from private donations, and to the extent possible, from public sources. We strongly encourage anyone who has been impacted by the flood, whether forced to leave their home or not, to register for FEMA assistance. This can be done by calling FEMA, applying online at disasterassistance.gov or coming to the Boulder Disaster Assistance Center at 5495 Arapahoe Ave. Recovery from this experience is not going to happen overnight. It will take weeks and, in some ways, months or even years for our community to get back to where we started. In addition to our focus on rebuilding, we want to learn from this event so that we can be even better prepared the next time waters roar through our city. Our employees have created several ways for you to remain informed and engaged in the recovery process. A central location for information is BoulderFloodInfo.net. This site is being updated daily. If you would prefer, you can also sign up for updates that come directly to your email. We are also providing frequent videotaped updates and news releases. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have suggestions or needs that are not being addressed. We can be emailed at boulderfloodinfo@bouldercolorado.gov. We are all in this together.
Boulder County: We’re working quickly toward recovery By Cindy Domenico, Deb Gardner and Elise Jones For the Camera
The following is a letter to the public from Boulder County’s Board of Commissioners: The Boulder County commissioners would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone in our community for your tremendous outpouring of support, assistance and compassion throughout the overwhelming flood event.
We’ve experienced an enormous amount of damage to our roadway infrastructure, and, in some places, complete destruction of critical plains, foothills and mountain routes. Our road maintenance teams have been working consistently on clearing, Domenico evaluating structural integrity and public safety, and repairing our county roads since the beginning of the Gardner flood.
Certainly thank you to the many individuals and businesses who donated food, services and other resources to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management while our staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to coordinate rescue, relief and recovery activities. It is truly We have heartening in a time of disasteamed with ter to witness a community come together to support so cities and towns, the many essential efforts. state, other Many of our residents nearby have returned to normal daicounties and ly routines, but there are private con- Jones countless others who still tractors to have a long road ahead and help with this massive unmay never return to their dertaking. We are working businesses or homes. We as quickly as we can to put are dedicated to rebuilding in place at least temporary our county and helping our fixes by winter, knowing residents in any way possithat cold weather and snow ble. The county is comwill only compound probmitted to helping those aflems with our damaged fected by the floods to roads. navigate the many steps toward recovery. Another important recovOne of the things we’ve deemed an immediate priority for the county is the repair and reconstruction of our county roads and bridges.
ery aspect for many residents is the status of our open space parks and trails. Our Parks and Open Space staff has been assessing damage and working to re-
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pair trails as quickly as possible. There are many open space properties that may be closed for a significant duration as these areas have experienced extreme damage and the trails are unsafe. We ask for compliance to any open space closures for your safety and to help our staff keep on track with repair plans. For community members who have lost homes and businesses, our Housing and Human Services Department has been working to help with assistance. We encourage any resident in need to check in with our staff to explore options for financial assistance. We would also suggest checking in with Public Health to educate yourself about health and safety issues while working with debris and other cleanup processes. Also, our Clerk & Recorder’s Office can assist in replacing any important documents that may have been lost in the floodwaters. Boulder County is hard at work to re-establish our infrastructure and reconnect residents to their communities and their homes. Boulder County is here to support and aid our community in any way possible. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you as you continue to rebuild your lives. There are a few great resources to remember for flood assistance and donation resources: BoulderCountyFlood.org, UnitedWayFoothills.org and DisasterAssistance.gov.
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Longmont: Flood brought out best By Harold Dominguez For the Times-Call
worked 12- to 24-hour days without complaint. Some took short naps in offices The following is a letter to and occasionally on a soft the public from Longmont chair. Yet, everyone reCity Manager Harold Dommained friendly, easy to inguez: work with and focused on supporting Longmont’s busiIn the early morning nesses and residents. hours of Sept. 12, the world changed for the Longmont As part of city operacommunity when a historic tions, we rescued more than flood hit the city. For the 200 individuals and 67 aninext several days we mals, provided shelter for watched the St. Vrain River 150 individuals, and answerand Lefthand Creek wash ed 10,466 calls in our emerout bridges; fill basements gency call center. We also with water; provided 24-hour public inforce our formation services, reaching neighbors, more than 254,000 people on family and our website and 86,000 peofriends to ple through the city’s Faceevacuate book site. their neighWhile city employees borhoods; were working, Longmont and strand Dominguez area restaurants and grocery people in stores helped feed between their homes and offices. 150 and 175 staff members What followed was truly in the Emergency Operaamazing. I saw our commutions Center and those nity come together to help working in the street. open shelters, donate food Our mayor and city and clean out flooded basecouncil members donated ments. I saw city employees food, answered phones in knock on doors at 3 o’clock the call center, checked in in the morning to alert peowith staff at road blocks, ple to the emergency. I saw worked in the Emergency them rescue families and Operations Center, staffed pets. I saw them work long evacuation shelters, and hours to keep our communi- helped get our Disaster Asty safe. I saw them turn dev- sistance Center up and runastation into reclamation. ning. They were everywhere, and they were a Many of these things tremendous support. went unnoticed, but they show how city staff, resiThe city’s water stayed dents and business owners clean, and city facilities were pulled together to meet the open Monday thanks to the community’s needs: city employees who held Between the early morn- down the fort while their coling hours of Thursday, Sept. leagues were handling the emergency. 12, and noon Friday, Sept. Approximately 53 mem20, many city employees
bers of the Colorado National Guard helped with public safety operations as part of this event. They provided traffic control that allowed Longmont safety personnel to provide security to neighborhoods and conduct rescue operations. A Disaster Assistance Center remains open at Twin Peaks Mall until the need subsides to help residents connect with insurance, FEMA, and mental health and other support services they need. We also encourage residents to recover safely, taking precautions around possibly contaminated floodwaters and submerged electrical equipment. I’d like to take a moment to offer my thanks to everyone who supported Longmont in its time of need. We showed our community’s strength during the flooding, but there is much work to be done as we begin our recovery efforts. Based on preliminary assessments, we estimate the cost of damages to the city’s infrastructure at approximately $148 million. If that sounds like an astronomical number, it’s because it is. It will take all of us pulling together for the next several years to make our recovery complete, and I have no doubt that we will recover and thrive in the years to come. I look forward to working with elected officials, city employees and community members to accomplish this enormous task.
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2013 FLOOD
Lyons: Mettle came out Weld County: We will rise again Julie Van Domelen For the Times-Call
The following is a letter to the public from Lyons Mayor Julie Van Domelin: On Sept. 12, our beautiful north and south St. Vrain rivers that meet in the center of Lyons became a force of nature, ripping a new path leaving much of our main infrastructure lines in tatters, damaging or destroying more than 150 homes and two mobile home parks, isolating our community into six islands cut off from one another. A dear member of our community, retired teacher Gerald Boland, lost his life, and our community grieves with his family. During those initial days of emergency and isolation, Lyons showed its mettle. Everyone has a story of people pulling together, helping each other out, sharing resources. Some stories are heroic, like a dramatic backhoe rescue of a stalled and flooding car. Some are funny, like the melting ice cream parties for the kids when the power went out. All are heartwarming. Town staff led by our wonderful Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen and emergency services (Lyons Fire District, Boulder County Sheriff, the National Guard and FEMA) have done a truly outstanding job. And our local stone and excavation companies, like the Vasquez and McCain families and others, were the first on the scene to try to stabilize streets and bridges which prevented further destruction. On behalf of all of our residents, I want to publicly thank everyone who got us through the emergency phase so safely.
Two weeks into this, we are grasping the enormity of the task ahead. Preliminary estimates of the cost of damages to public infrastructure are at least $42 million and still counting. Water, sewer, gas and electricity are out and make take several months to fully restore. Many in the flood’s path have lost everything. Thousands of Lyons residents have evacuated to family and friends’ couches and temporary rentals. People have lost jobs and income. Our wonderfully eclectic, inventive and homegrown business community is shut down, and it will be an even greater tragedy if we lose businesses as a result of the flood. The sprint is turning into the marathon, but Lyons will recover. We will get the roads, bridges, power and water back up and running. Our children are back at school together in the refurbished old Longmont High School building thanks to tremendous efforts by the St Vrain Valley School District. We will work hard to find ways to support our businesses and families with assistance. And we will find ways of gathering to share information and stay connected while we are temporarily displaced. We have great partners in this process. Our community gives deep gratitude and thanks to Boulder County, Foothills United Way, the city of Longmont, FEMA, our state agencies coordinated through the Department of Local Affairs, our elected state Legislature representatives Rollie Heath and Jonathan Singer and our friends at the federal level,
our utility partners and all of the volunteer relief organizations that have been mucking out homes, giving food and supplies. No one has flinched or hesitated in getting us what we need to recover. Many of you have asked how you can help. Our most affected and most vulnerable will need help rebuilding their lives. The Lyons Community Foundation (www.Lyonscf.org) and the Foothills United Way Flood Relief Fund (www.unitedwayfoothills.org) are at the forefront of channeling financial resources directly to well-identified needs. Please donate what you can. For our business community, the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission will be rolling out programs to support our businesses, so stay tuned to help out in that area. For our Lyons residents, please stay plugged in. Get registered with FEMA and check out the Lyons Resource Center set up at the Disaster Assistance Center at the Twin Peaks Mall. There will be weekly Community Update meetings at 7 p.m. Thursdays at LifeBridge Church and weekly Board of Trustee meetings at 5:30 p.m. Mondays in the Longmont City Council Chambers. Lyons is not just a place, we are a community. We will use everything that makes Lyons what it is — our quirky, hardworking, independent, artistic, entrepreneurial, outdoor fun-loving, small town charm-defending, sandstone strong folks — to restore Lyons to the jewel of the Front Range.
By Douglas Rademacher For the Times-Call
The following is a letter to the public from Weld County Commissioner Douglas Rademacher: On Sept. 12, my day started at 2 a.m. when I woke up to the sound of torrential rainfall. Being the ditch rider for the Last Chance Irrigation Company, whose head gates are at St. Vrain State Park, I realized the disasters which could unfold as the Rademacher water from the area was going to impact our ditch. I was out of the house by 3 a.m. As I drove down Firestone Boulevard, going through deep water just east of Home Depot, I realized we were going to have major issues throughout the county. When I got to the state park and realized the water was rising very quickly, I put safety first and did not attempt to shut down the head gates while it was still dark. At 6: 30 a.m., my son, John, and I made it to the park and witnessed water at flood stage. We managed to shut down the head gates and made a call to Roy Rudisill, the county emergency operation manager. I advised him to contact State Parks and have the park evacuated immediately, which was done by the Fredrick/Firestone Fire Protection District. The evacuation was completed by 9 a.m. The park was under water by noon. This set the tone for the next several days. Weld County would experience its worst flood event since records were kept as
We’re here to help. Our thoughts go out to all of our communities, customers and employees that were affected by the storms and floods across our state. Guaranty Bank, a community bank that has called Colorado home for over 50 years, is here to help. Please stop by one of our 27 locations across the Front Range or visit our website to learn more. Locations in Boulder and Longmont: Boulder 1300 Walnut St. 303.298.6820
Longmont 401 Main St. 303.678.4140
Fox Creek 1650 Pace St. 303.651.5646
Twin Peaks 1050 South Hover Rd. 303.678.4144
GuarantyBankCO.com | 303.293.5500
not only the Saint Vrain but also the Big and Little Thompson, the Poudre, and the South Platte (as well as many small creeks) were also flooding. All rivers set new records on flows. Weld County went into action: Our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) opened on the 12th and started taking calls. We pulled resources from every department to address the needs coming into the EOC from outside agencies; we coordinated our efforts with other EOCs and municipalities. On Sept. 13, Weld County Commissioners declared Weld County a disaster area. We were the first to open assistance/recovery centers (one at our Southwest complex in Del Camino and the other at Island Grove in Greeley). We were the first to have representatives from FEMA at our EOC (FEMA arrived on Sept. 15). We opened our county assistance centers on Sept. 17 to start the recovery process and address human services needs. As the event unfolded, we realized the damage was extensive throughout the county. Water was rising rapidly. Our EOC was receiving calls of closed roads, washed-out bridges and people who needed to be evacuated immediately. As the week progressed, I was contacted by several residents along Boulder Creek concerned about the flooding. At first we thought the creek was just out of its banks and would eventually go back on its own. The calls kept coming in, however, even when the rivers were receding. On Saturday, we found the breach of Boulder Creek that was causing the flooding. We had the nearest gravel opera-
tor, Asphalt Specialties, organize a crew to start work on closing the breach. They worked 48 hours continuously to repair the damage. The floodwater is now receding from these properties. Some numbers to date: 25 bridges were impacted (some severe enough they will have to be replaced); of those, nine have been reopened. At least 75 county roads were impacted (again some severe), and all but 40 have been reopened. Many state and municipal roads were also closed including Interstate 25 for a short period of time. Our sheriff’s officers were unsung heroes. Our assistance centers processed approximately 2,400 people. Thanks to our Human Services personnel. We lost more than 300 homes. Several temporary shelters were opened within the affected areas. Some are still open. We administered more than 200 vaccinations for tetanus through our Health Department. I want to thank the other four commissioners who allowed me to stay in the field to assist people that were in harm’s way. We have a great team! Weld County sends our thoughts and prayers to the other counties who have lost lives and people who are still accounted for, as well as the people who are displaced and communities that are in need. We have a saying in Weld: “Team Weld.” We are very proud of our staff and our working relationships with our municipalities. It will take months, and perhaps years, to fully recover, but with the pioneer spirit we are known for, we will rise again.
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FILL DIRT AND GRAVEL IS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR FLOOD DAMAGE RESTORATION DO YOU NEED CLEAN, ROCK FREE, FILL DIRT FOR RESTORATION OF YOUR PROPERTY We are now delivering to all areas of bOUlDER cOUNTY and have grading services available as well.
?
Depending on your location, an average dump truck load of fill dirt at 11 cubic yards will cost approximately $150 - $300 delivered. Grading services will be quoted by the hour or as a lump sum. Gravel road base and recycled asphalt and concrete is also available for your driveway.
cAll
GOOSE HAVEN SAND & GRAVEl TODAY FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE DOUG TIEFEl @ 303-883-7097 or WIllIE TIEFEl @ 303-725-8076
We have been in business since 1982, proudly working in boulder county
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2013 FLOOD: WELD COUNTY
Lewis Geyer Times-Call
Mead resident Court Stout watches the water pour through the swollen St. Vrain River at the East Frontage Road north of Del Camino on Sept. 13.
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
An unidentified woman takes photos Sept. 13 of what’s left of a guard rail along the heavily damaged and washed out County Line Road.
Pam Benedetto, right, a resident of the River Valley Village mobile home park, walks through the floodwaters Sept. 17 that swamped the Del Camino neighborhood.
Our hearts go out to the people affected by the devastating floods in Colorado.
Pierrette J. Shields Longmont Times-Call
Battalion Chief Dean Street from Mountain View Fire Rescue talks on his cell phone Sept. 19, while inspecting the damage along Weld County Road 7.
Aspen Eyewear is open again and looking better than ever.
New Vacation Specials.Alaska and Hawaii!
Hawaii Cruise
Join Nancy for this trip to Hawaii
Prices: $2,439 per person………............................................Category “L” $3,139 per person………............................................Category “E” $3,328 per person………............................................Category “DA” $5,049 per person………............................................Category “BA” $5,328 per person………............................................Category “B” $8,428 per person………............................................Category “Suite”
M.S veedAM
January 21 - February 8, 2014
Inside Cabin Outside Cabin Outside Cabin Veranda Cabin Veranda Cabin Neptune Suite
Taxes and fees are included in the above pricing. * Call for airfare from your gateway.
Fly to San Diego and sail to Hilo; Honolulu (overnight); Lahaina, Maui; Kona, Hawaii; Kauai, Hawaii; Ensenada, Mexico and back from San Diego.
For more inFormation and a brochure, please contact: nancy Wee at Wee travel, ltd. Phone: 303-465-2118 or 800-327-4006.
passport Will be required For this trip
checks should be made payable to: Wee Travel, Ltd. • 1380 West Midway Blvd. Broomfield, Colorado 80020 • Credit cards accepted!
*an additional $9 per day may be reinstated For a Fuel surcharge.
If it’s the world you want to see, talk first to Nancy Wee!
Spacious, Elegant Ships • Gracious, Award -Winning Service Worldwide Itineraries Extensive Activities And Enrichment Programs Sophisticated Five-Star Dining
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June. 22 - July 6, 2014
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Prices: $2,479 per person………............................................ Category “L” $2,899 per person………............................................ Category “E” $2,979 per person………............................................ Category “DA” $3,019 per person………............................................ Category “D” $5,425 per person………............................................ Category “B”
Inside Cabin Outside Cabin Outside Cabin Outside Cabin Veranda
Taxes and fees are included in the above pricing.* Call for airfare from your gateway.
Fly to Seattle and sail to Ketchikan: Juneau; Scenic Cruising Tracy Arm; Icy Strait Point: Anchorage: Homer: Kodiak: Hubbard Glacier: Sitka: Victoria, British Columbia and back from Seattle.
For more inFormation and a brochure, please contact: nancy Wee at Wee travel, ltd. Phone: 303-465-2118 or 800-327-4006. checks should be made payable to: Wee Travel, Ltd. • 1380 West Midway Blvd. Broomfield, Colorado 80020 Credit cards accepted! BOOK EARLY TO GET THE CABIN OF YOUR CHOICE!
Fares Starting from: Fa
Nancy Wee
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**
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Many Ma Other Dates and Destinations Available!
For affected by F or tthose hose a ffected b y the flood, we would offer fl ood, w ew ould llike ike tto o offe r 30% off all new orders.. 3 0% o ff a ll n ew orders
passport Will be required For this trip
If it’s the world you want to see, talk first to Nancy Wee!
Spacious, Elegant Ships • Gracious, Award -Winning Service Worldwide Itineraries Extensive Activities And Enrichment Programs Sophisticated Five-Star Dining
Your local preferred agent for Book only only onl $$ day! ToOver 33 years experience
We our We ssincerely incerely tthank hank ou r friends lloyal oyal ccustomers ustomers & friend s before,, ffor or tthe he ssupport upport before during, and after flooding.. d uring, a nd a fter tthe he flooding
303.465.2118
1380 West Midway Blvd. Broomfield, CO 80020
If it’s the world you want to see, talk first to Nancy Wee! Email: Nancy@weetravel.net • Vacation.com Member
In the Village at 2525 Arapahoe
303.447.0210
www.aspeneyewear.com
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 39Z
GRAND ENTRY DOORS
Flood Specials
Doors, Cabinets, Moulding, Trim Full Kitchen Cabinet Sets & Bathroom Vanities In Stock! Rustic Alder • Knotty Pine
CUSTOM MILLWORKs 1000’s of Doors in Stock Rustic Alder - Knotty Pine
Pre-Hung Interior & Exterior, New & Custom Doors 1000’s In Stock!
Up to
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Kitchen cabinets
Contractor’s pricing Plus
10% OFF Bathroom Vanities
BUILDERS OUTLET DP-6989714
Factory Outlet Open to the Public
for ALL Flood Victims
FREE
Kitchen Design Center
Maple & Oak Always in stock!
303.789.0808
“Come Visit our 30,000 Sq. Ft. Showroom” 3060 Brighton Blvd. in Denver • www.buildersoutletco.com Shop the Rest - You’ll See Why We’re The Best!
In the wake of last week's historic flood, you don't have to go far to see the goodness of humanity and of a community that cares. Dignity, kindness, strengths, weakness; people who care, people who want to help and people who show up. We are eternally grateful to the brave workers, rescue and volunteer alike, and the 'regular' people who are committed to making the places we live that much better, and supporting those affected as they begin to recover. The following list of resources represents a fraction of the organizations dedicated to helping those in need, but hopefully, it will serve as a good place to start. ~ Your Friends at REIMAX of Boulder Housing | Contact your RE/MAX of Boulder agent for advice and potential leads. We are glad to help. Contractors | RE/MAX of Boulder has assembled a list of trusted home contractors for everything from landscaping to lighting, construction, demolition and more. Go to Bouldersource.com and click the FIND IT tab. Give | Dollars have a big impact quickly. Consider making a donation to these and other reputable organizations. They are mobilized to make a difference now and long into the future.
Mike Bader, RE/MAX of Boulder Realtor and President of the Boulder Area Realtor Association, led BARA in their decision to donate $10,000 from their Reserve Funds to Elevations Foundation who matched the donation and went on to successfully raise $100,000 to be used to provide temporary housing for those displaced by the flood. Thank you BARA, Elevations, and everyone who contributed! Science on Screen Dairy Center for the Arts – Performance Space Wednesday, October 2 | 7 p.m. Go to www.thedairy.org for tickets and info. $10 | All proceeds go directly to the Flood Response Fund Our September Featured Friend, The Dairy Center for the Arts, is holding one of the most interesting flood relief events we know of. Local UCAR meteorologists Bob Henson and Matt Kelsch will present their science talk, Inside the Colorado Deluge, followed by the big screen presentation of the film The Perfect Storm. Don’t miss it.
Who’s Your Hero? | When the National Guard put out a final evacuation call to the residents of Pinewood Springs, they weren’t kidding. “People had a choice to make. They could evacuate or stay. But if they chose to stay, they were on their own – no supplies, no support, nothing,” explains Jill Bryant, a RE/MAX of Boulder Realtor and Pinewood Springs resident. Many of Jill’s neighbors didn’t want to leave. They felt they had no place to go, or couldn’t afford to pay for interim housing. Plus many have pets – some have livestock. As a Realtor here for more than 18 years, Jill knew she had the resources and knowledge to help. She immediately began tapping her many contacts at RE/MAX, the greater Boulder County real estate community, and officials with the city of Boulder to develop a list of available donated or rental spaces with flexible terms – everything from basement bedrooms, to rural trailers to single family houses. She’s since connected many of her neighbors and friends to solid, temporary spaces that accommodate them and their pets. “I talked a lot of people off that mountain,” she said. “It’s as rewarding for me as anyone else.” Learn more on Bouldersource.com – look for the blog post: Who’s Your Hero?
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Carrier Colorado Supports Colorado Flood Relief
SAVE UP TO 70
%
Carrier Colorado has acquired new, unused discontinued-model furnaces from our factory, and are offering them to homeowners at a substantially reduced price.
Our thOughts and prayers
Save up to 70% off
the cost of a new furnace for your home.
are with the
If your home has been damaged and your furnace needs to be replaced, this is a great opportunity to get a new Carrier furnace at a fraction of the cost.
families affected by the recent flOOd
There is a limited number of furnaces, and they will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Visit
CarrierColorado.com
970-532-5096
DP-6990328
to find a dealer near you and ask about the Flood Victims discount.
www.berthoudrealestate.com
DP-6991317
Carrier Colorado Supports Colorado!
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An affiliate of The Denver Foundation Our Pledge to the Community From the Grant Committee Members of the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund Committee We, the members of the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund Grant Selection Committee, hereby swear to act quickly in distributing funds, with impartiality, fairness and in the best interests of the St. Vrain Valley. We’re honored to be selected to review grants to the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund and look forward to our work reviewing applications from organizations in our community that have done so much to help during this crises. Thank you for allowing us to serve our community!
Thanks to caring families, individuals and businesses we have raised more than $225,000 for the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund. Thank you for your generosity! For more information about the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund please go to www.longmontfoundation.org or call us at 303-678-6555.
Relax. We’ve Got you Covered. Dear Neighbor, We know the past several weeks have been hard and our thoughts are with you and your families in the aftermath of the flooding. We have been working with our suppliers to ensure we can provide you with the best possible service during this difficult time. Being a locally owned business serving our community for 25 years allows us to be responsive and offer conveniences like free on site measurements and guaranteed installations. If you need immediate assistance or an assessment, please give us a call at 303-651-2407. Your Hometown Flooring Experts,
The Carpet Masters Team
CARPET • BAMBOO • HARDWOOD • LAMINATE • TILE & NATURAL STONE • WINDOW FASHIONS
We have a large in-stock selection of carpet for immediate installation. Our Infinity Ultra Soft carpet is the latest in softness and comes in 50 designer colors. From now until November 15th, we have the following offers.
$100 OFF
50 sq. yds.
$200 OFF
100 sq. yds.
$300 OFF
150 sq. yds.
To make your purchase easier we are offering
15 Months No Interest financing* with no minimum purchase required. *w.a.c.
10% off
All in-stock carpet and vinyl. 618 S. Sunset Street • Longmont Mon. - Fri. 9-6 • Sat. 9-5 LIKE US 303-651-2407 carpetmastersofco.com
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2013 FLOOD: LONGMONT
Lewis Geyer Longont Times-Call
Diane Milford, a Longmont animal control officer, carries a cat that was rescued from an evacuated home across a flooded Hayden Court.
Matthew Jonas Longmont Times-Call
Flooded homes are seen in this aerial photo near Ninth Avenue by Twin Peaks Golf Course in Longmont on Sept. 14.
Lewis Geyer Longmont Times-Call
An unidentified man sits trapped in his pickup outside W.P. Manufacturing at Price Road and Boston Avenue the afternoon of Sept. 12. The man eventually was able to move his pickup closer to the building and escape the vehicle.
Lewis Geyer Longmont Times-Call
Rachel Ferguson, right, hugs an acquaintance in front of a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home at 108 Gay St. in the Bohn Park neighborhood on Sept. 14.
Above, Longmont resident Kristin McDonald and her dog Sakari quickly evacuate their home after receiving notice from the city Sept. 15 that conditions up stream had worsened. Matthew Jonas l Longmont Times-Call
Right, Mike McDaniels shovels mud from the basement of a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house on Lefthand Drive in Longmont on Sept. 14. Cliff Grassmick l Daily Camera
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2013 FLOOD: LONGMONT
Lewis Geyer Times-Call
A cross-stitch sits on a pile of garbage pulled from flooded homes along Twin Peaks Circle in The Greens neighborhood.
Lewis Geyer Times-Call
Team Rubicon volunteer Christian Somoza removes debris Sept. 19 from the basement of a home in the Greens neighborhood, which sustained heavy flooding.
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
Robert Pandolfi, of Longmont, helps to push water to a pump while working in the basement of Ray Hummerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home on Twin Peaks Circle in Longmont on Sept. 16.
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
This aerial photo from Sept. 14 shows the extent of flooding and damage in the neighborhood near Mountain View and Airport Road in Longmont.
Cliff Grassmick Daily Camera
Carlos Duron, 3, plays on a cot, while his mother, Vilma Maldonado, talks on the phone Sept. 15 at an evacuation center set up by the Red Cross at Mead High School. The mother and son were among those evacuated from Longmont during the flood.
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Twin Peaks Mall
Supports the Longmont Community affected by the September 2013 flood. We are proud to rebuild alongside you as we transform Twin Peaks Mall g at the Peaks into a vibrant new Village
S. Main St
S. Hover Rd.
Twin Peaks Mall supports the Longmont City Flood victims and is actively serving as the Command Center for Disaster Relief Resources.
Nelson Rd. y Hw al on Di
ag
d ksi
e
ALL ABOUT THE GAME
e Cr e
Pike Rd. Dr.
N. 107th St
Colorado Nepal
wy S. Pratt P k
SAMUELS JEWELERS
S. Sunset St
速
Collectables from all over the US
S. Hover Rd.
GameStop
yC Dr ree k Dr.
www.twinpeaksmall.com.
N'Dangered Pieces
op Shop Youu Sh te Yo hite Whi Bo Bopp W
Ken Pratt Blvd.
Boulder Medical Center, P.C. Putting Patients First since 1949
The physicians and staff members send heartfelt thoughts and wishes for recovery to all of our patients, neighbors and the Colorado community who are touched by the Colorado floods. We want to thank our patients for their concern and understanding during clean-up and restoration of the first floor of our Broadway location damaged by the flood waters. We also thank our staff members who have worked tirelessly during this clean-up process at work, many of whom are also cleaning up their homes. Our Boulder and Louisville offices are open for your medical needs.
BMC Avista
80 Health Park Dr. Suite 100, Louisville
303-673-0448 Family Practice 303-666-2710 General Surgery 303-666-2632 Ob/Gyn 303-665-1045 Pediatrics 303-666-2720
BMC Broadway 2750 Broadway Boulder 303-440-3000 Multi-specialties Urgent Care Office Visits 303-440-3200
BMC Foothills
4745 Arapahoe Ave. Suite 200 Boulder 303-938-4700 ENT 303-440-3073
General Surgery 303-938-4710 Ob/Gyn 303-938-4710
Pediatrics 303-938-4750
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Longmont is on
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 45Z
Flood relief. Through 9/30/13, our cashiers are prepared to help you round up the cost of your purchase to the nearest dollar, purchase a “Keep Calm & McGuckin On” t-shirt, or make a flat donation of any amount.
The Artistic Smiles team honors and recognizes all the first responders, city employees and citizens for their countless acts of heroism, service and kindness.
All proceeds go to Foothills United Way Flood Relief & Recovery Fund.
McGuckin Hardware will match your donations. Foothills United Way established this flood relief and recovery fund to assist individuals and families in our area immediately and with long term recovery. 100% of the monies raised for this fund goes directly to flood relief and recovery.
• Teamwork • Expertise • Compassion …..is what we do at Artistic Smiles …..And it is what will carry Longmont through to a successful rebuilding of our wonderful community. 920 South Hover Rd, Longmont, CO 80501 303-485-8888 • www.artisticsmiles.org
HOURS: Mon - Fri: 7:30 am - 8:00 pm Sat: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm / Sun: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm FREE PARKING: Available on all four sides in the Village at Arapahoe & Canyon PUBLIC TRANSIT: RTD stops on Folsom, Arapahoe, and Canyon
Prevent Mold daMage! Fight Back Against Mold, Odor, Bacteria NOW, Before it’s Too Late!
mcguckin.com 2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 443-1822
To help with the rebuilding process
Cloth Constructions Inc. is offering
5% - 10% off
select fabrics & window treatments
®
Airius Air Pear fans with PHI Indoor Quality Kit work fast!
25% untto c s i d ongmon from Led Airius bas
• The kit, mounted inside the Air Pear fan, kills 99% of bacteria, viruses and mold (surface & airborne). • Fight Sick Building Syndrome, reduced productivity and molds and airborne germs that may cause respiratory disease. For details go to www.theairpear.com and click on “PHI Mold and Bacteria”
For more than 28 years, we’ve ’ h helped l d Boulder, B ld C Colorado l d area customers enhance the elegance of their homes with custom window treatments as well as dazzling fabrics and soft furnishings. Mo
del
25 A ir
b ul Pear Fan with PHI
To order, call Airius today at 303-772-2633 or toll free 1 888-247-7327 or email Airius at info@theairpear.com
“After getting flooded, our whole house smelled like a swamp because of a crawl space that was wet. I put the Air Pear PHI into the crawl space and in a few hours the musty smell was gone in the house. My husband was quite skeptical when I got the Air Pear -- now he is as enthusiastic about it as I am. I was coughing a lot at night and bothered by the musty smells we were experiencing in our house after flooding. After less than a week of using the Air Pear in different rooms, the house smells fresh and clean, I am no longer coughing, and I sleep like a baby. Even after our flooding issues are over we intend to keep using the Air Pear in our house. Thank you so-o-o much!” Ann Raisch
it bk
For hassle-free, beautiful window coverings, don’t go it alone We’re here to help! From a free design consultation to measuring and expert installation. We’ve got you completely Coverd!!
FREE In-Home Consultation and first time measuring
303-449-2012
clothconstructions@gmail.com Monday - Thursday 11:00 - 5:00 Friday 11:00 - 4:00
3013 Walnut St. Boulder
www.clothsonstructions.com
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Heating and Air Conditioning Member of Tom Martino Referral List
Expert installation and service for over 25 years!
COLORADO FLOOD VICTIMS:
Be Safe • Be Careful!
“Extreme care must be taken before restoring power to a water heater, furnace or air conditioner that has been exposed to flood conditions. Any flood-damaged appliances should be replaced, rather than repaired, warns the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA).” Controls damaged by flood water are extremely dangerous and can result in fires, flashbacks or explosions. Leave the inspections to the professionals.
$99 Furnace Tune Up
• Clean service, clean and inspect heat exchange • Clean main burners, flame sensors & inspect automatic pilots • Test electrical components • inspect blower motors and wheels • Inspect gas controls and gas safety controls • Evaluate condition of system
0% for 36 Months
plus
$1000 in Trade-In Allowance
Plus take advantage of tax credits up to $500 and potential lower monthly energy bills.
Mike’s Camera has been a part of your community since 1967. We want to do our part to help our neighbors affected by the floods get your homes back to normal with some special offers to help you recover what you may have lost.
Stay strong Colorado!
50FREEPRINTS
For anyone with flood damage when you order online. Enter Online Coupon Code RECOVER at Checkout out
Film and Print Washing Negatives and prints exposed to water will dry and end up stuck together. We can help save your memories. We can wash your photographic prints, negatives or slides and dry them individually so you don’t have to. regularly $12 per roll
regularly $30 per 100 prints
now only now only per roll per 100 $ $ Prints
8
20
Present coupon in-store only for instant savings through 10/31/2013. Note that some photo emulsions get soft over time and can separate from the paper or film base, so we are not responsible for any damage or further damage to your originals.
SAVE 50%
Bulk Shoebox Scans Preserve your family legacy! Scan up to 2,000 images and archive them with a premium grade DVD and uploaded to your personal, secure online account. Present coupon code 841 in-store only for instant savings through 10/31/2013.
Eligible Purchase Sales Date: 9/16/13 – 11/15/13 Eligible Install Dates: 9/16/13 – 12/15/13 See dealer for details. Some restrictions may apply.
HeATIng, VenTILATIOn & AIR COnDITIOnIng ReMODeLS & BASeMenT FInISHeS UV LAMpS TO KILL geRMS, MOLDS AnD BACTeRIA
Serving Boulder County Since 1996 www.calljkthomas.com
303-435-8141
Free ProFessional Massages & Healing ToucH For
Bulk Film Scans
We’ll archive decades of negatives on our Archival Gold 300 year discs and create a free online storage account to meet all of your archiving and sharing needs. Present coupon code 841 in-store only for instant savings through 10/31/2013.
SAVE 40%
Photo Restorations
Handling, water, dust, storage and time can cause major damage to your photos. Bring them to us and we’ll scan and retouch your images to their original state. Present coupon code 863 in-store only for instant savings through 10/31/2013.
Canvas Wall Art
Create your own masterpiece with professionally stretched canvas wraps of your prized images. Valid online or in-store through 10/31/2013. 16”x20” Canvas Wrap on 1/2” Stretcher Bars only $59.99, regularly $80.00. Limit 4 per customer. Any size. Coupon Code 895
Photo Calendars Create your own customized photo calendar to hang and display or give one as a gift!
Valid online or in-store through 10/31/2013. Coupon Code 827
Greeting Cards
Say it with pictures and with words. Share your sentiments on a custom greeting card this Holiday season! Valid online or in-store through 10/31/2013 with purchase of 24 cards or more. Coupon Code 827
collages
prints
cards
photo books
canvas splits
calendars desk puzzles accessories
t-shirts
Your Photos, Your Way. Wesley Foundation Chapel M-F 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
1290 Folsom St., Boulder *No parking in the lot, but free 2 hour parking on University Heights Ave. (or take the Hop bus, or bike) Facebook: “H.A.F. (HealingAfterFlood) FREE Community Clinics”
BOULDER
DOWNTOWN DENVER
WHEAT RIDGE
PARK MEADOWS
2500 Pearl Street 303-443-1715
610 16th Street Mall 303-623-1155
3830 Wadsworth Blvd. 303-424-0430
COLORADO BOULEVARD 759 S. Colorado Boulevard 303-733-2121
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7939 E. Arapahoe Road - Ste.130 303-771-8404
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DAILY CAMERA / SPECIAL FLOOD SECTION
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 47Z
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48Z SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
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2013 FLOOD
Veterans deploy for flood cleanup Team Rubicon brings relief efforts to Longmont, Lyons By Whitney Bryen Longmont Times-Call
LONGMONT — Air Force veteran Larry Doescher sat in a lawn chair on his driveway thanking veterans who dragged his muddy memories across the lawn to one of the dozens of trash piles that lined the streets of The Greens neighborhood a week after floodwaters hit the homes. Doescher is a cancer patient and doesn’t get around well these days; otherwise, he would be helping the volunteers who spent Sept. 19 cleaning his flood-damaged basement. “It’s like your life is being thrown away,” he said. “It’s difficult watching your things go like that, but I’m so grateful to have these veterans helping us through it.” Dozens of Team Rubicon volunteers have helped residents in Longmont and Lyons move trash to the curb, clean basements, and rip out wet carpet and drywall. Team Rubicon is a national nonprofit that deploys teams of veterans to assist with disaster relief efforts around the world, said Aaron Cook, field operations manager for the nonprofit. The organization was started by veterans who wanted to help with disaster relief fol-
Lewis Geyer Longmont Times-Call
Team Rubicon volunteers Alex Lanning and Dana Niemela congratulate each other Sept. 19 after dragging a water heater out to the street in the Greens neighborhood in Longmont.
lowing Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. About 80 percent of the organization’s 13,500 volunteers nationwide are veterans. The other 20 percent includes mostly first responders and people with medical and other specialized skills, Cook said. “We have two missions: to help veterans reintegrate into society and disaster relief,” Cook said. “We give veterans an opportunity to utilize the unique skills they have while serving.” Littleton resident Brea
Hapken, 31, led a Rubicon team of about seven volunteers who were working on Karen and John Fritz’s home on Sept. 19. Hapken, a Marine veteran, joined Rubicon to continue serving after she left the military in July. “I knew before I left that I’d need to find a way to keep serving at home. I just didn’t know it was going to be right here in my backyard,” Hapken said. “We (the volunteers) are Colorado. These are our own people so I think that makes
a huge impact for us and the people we’re helping.” The Fritzes came home to several feet of water in their basement, panels missing from the back wall of their garage and a gaping hole in the ground underneath the northwest corner of their home in The Greens. Clearing the mud and water out of the basement would have taken the couple weeks, even with the help of a few family members and friends. But the basement was nearly dry that afternoon thanks to a group of
volunteers who descended on Longmont following the flood. “They are our saviors, our life savers,” Karen Fritz said. “We couldn’t have done this on our own. I’m 65 and my husband is 72 and it is just too overwhelming for the two of us to handle.” Navy veteran Dana Niemela, 37, took paid time off from her day job in Denver to help Longmont residents who are purging their homes of flood damage. Niemela said she is ex-
cited about serving fellow Coloradans in their time of need but she has some selfish reasons for helping, too. “I love being around other veterans,” Niemela said. “It’s like we know each other without knowing each other.” Despite their motives, Doescher said, the volunteers made a tough week a little easier for residents of The Greens. “I don’t know what we would have done without them,” Doescher said. “They are truly a godsend.”
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 49Z
2013 FLOOD
Students take advantage of school closures by helping flood victims By Victoria A.F. Camron Longmont Times-Call
FREDERICK — Like so many things these days, it started with an email. Trent John, president of the Frederick High School booster club, received from his church an email written by Frederick town Trustee Gavin Payne explaining that several local homes were inundated with mud. The Mormon church was seeking volunteers to help those residents. Word of that need spread through text messages, Facebook and Instagram. And Frederick High students — who were out of school because of the flood and the damage it caused — responded. Sabrina Duey, a senior at Frederick High, and Makenzie DiGesualdo, a junior, met up Sept. 14 with their basketball coach, Callico Neu, and headed out to help. “They came like a freaking army,” an exhausted John said Thursday. And every time one job was done, they asked John for their next assignment, he said. “We took towels and were wiping off people’s ceilings,” said Anna Brooks, a junior at Frederick High. As people laid out their family pictures on blankets in their yards, the students tried to dry them, Duey said. The students helped resi-
Courtesy photo
Silver Creek student Kiley Winkelhake and Ashley Herrera clean Christmas ornaments and other sentimental items for a family in the Greens neighborhood.
dents of three houses on one street in Frederick, then headed to another block in Firestone, they said.
the most difficult part of the cleanup was getting past the smell and dealing with the mold.
For Skyler McCarty, a junior who lives in Firestone,
“I just hope everyone’s OK and their houses will be
“I think that the most significant work we will ever do, in our whole life, is done within the four walls of our own house.” Stephen Covey My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with everyone displaced and affected by the flood. May you rebuild your walls stronger and more meaningful than ever before. I would like to offer my assistance to anyone in need of referral for services. Stay strong!
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fixed,” Skyler said. The girls estimated that 30 to 50 students, plus more teens from the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints, worked in the com-
munity on the weekend following the storm. Unfortunately, after the students worked so hard on Sept. 14, it rained again on Sept. 15.
“Sunday was the day I got dirty — mud all over me,” Duey said. Mud flowed into the basements of several houses where windows had broken Sept. 12 and 13 — houses the kids had cleaned Sept. 14, Anna said. Makenzie recalled working between two houses, trying to divert the mud and water between them. During their time off from school, students helped out at 36 homes, John said. Even when classes started again Sept. 19, students were asking if they could help after school. Carrie Adams, director of the Leadership Academy at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, helped her students, as well as others in the community, find ways to pitch in after the disaster. One of their big activities was to make sack lunches that included a note of encouragement, Adams said. They delivered 1,200 to affected neighborhoods in the first days after the flood, she said. “The kids hopped out and said, ‘Hey, do you want a sandwich?’ ” Adams said. Students also helped in ways similar to the Frederick students, like helping people clean their photos. One group of students headed up to Estes Park to help there. “They just tried to do anything and everything they could,” Adams said.
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2013 FLOOD: MOUNTAINS
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Lefthand Canyon Road near the intersection of Olde Stage Road, seen here Sept. 14, sustained extensive damage and washouts during the flooding.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Sean McCroskey, left, gets some help finding belongings from his friend Paul Tagley at his destroyed home in the town of Salina on Gold Run Road in Boulder County on Sept. 19. The home was among hundreds countywide destroyed in the flood.
Salina resident Michelle, who declined to give her last name, shows off her battered hands and fingers from trying to save family and friends from a mudslide along Gold Run Road in Boulder County.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Paul Tagley takes a photograph of his friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car, which was destroyed by the flooding in Salina along Gold Run Road in Boulder County.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 51Z
2013 FLOOD: MOUNTAINS
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Brian Montgomery wades through mud as he works to clean up the basement at his mother’s flooded home on Olde Stage Road west of Boulder on Sept. 14.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Keenan Gates takes photos of what remains of his mother’s house on Fourmile Canyon Drive after it was destroyed by floodwaters that overtook the town of Salina.
An unidentified person looks over a muddy picture found in the debris in the town of Salina, which sustained heavy damage during the flooding.
Jeremy Papasso Daily Camera
Suzanne Sophocles hugs her dogs after they were all rescued from her flooded home Sept. 13 on Streamcrest Drive in the foothills west of Boulder.
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2013 FLOOD: LYONS
Kenneth Wajda Courtesy photo
Onlookers watch the South St. Vrain River as it rages down along Colo. 7 toward Lyons on Sept. 12.
Greg Lindstrom Longmont Times-Call
A Colorado Task Force Urban Search and Rescue crew searches flooded areas of Lyons on Sept. 13 for stranded or missing people.
Matthew Jonas Longmont Times-Call
Planet Bluegrass, seen in this Sept. 14 aerial photo, was overwhelmed by the flood.
Greg Lindstrom Longmont Times-Call
Gary McCrumb, left, and Jean Ballhorn wade through flood waters as they carry valuables out of their home on Park Drive in Lyons on Sept. 13. McCrumb said he was planning to stay with friends in town, adding, “We’re all taking care of each other.”
Matthew Jonas Longmont Times-Call
This historic pavilion in Lyons’ Meadow Park, pictured here on Sept. 16, was destroyed by the flood.
Greg Lindstrom Longmont Times-Call
Will Wilson, center, is helped to an awaiting stretcher after being evacuated from Lyons on Sept. 13, while Spec. Daniel Lapp, from the Colorado National Guard, holds an umbrella to keep him dry. Wilson said a neighbor told him his house was lost in the flood.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 53Z
2013 FLOOD: LYONS
Lewis Geyer Times-Call
Janice Wheeler, right, cries as she is greeted by her son, Nathan, at LifeBridge Church on Sept. 13 after Nathan was evacuated from Lyons, which sustained massive flooding from the storm.
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
One of the many flooded neighborhoods in Lyons seen in this aerial photo from Sept. 14.
Greg Lindstrom Times-Call
Matthew Jonas Times-Call
A Subaru destroyed by rushing floodwaters and covered in debris sits upside down in the front yard of a home at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Evans Street in Lyons on Sept. 18.
Carmel Ross, a resident of the Riverbend Mobile Home Park in Lyons, on Sept. 13 walks through the flooded neighborhood. Ross feared her home would be destroyed, but entered to find minimal damage.
Greg Lindstrom Times-Call
A van sits precariously Sept. 13 along the edge of the bridge, closed due to floodwaters, at Fifth Avenue in Lyons.
Greg Lindstrom Times-Call
Lyons residents wave from the back of a National Guard truck after being evacuated from Lyons on Sept. 13.
Greg Lindstrom Times-Call
Raging floodwaters of the South St. Vrain River in Lyons wash away the ground below a portion of this Lyons home.
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Covering the Flood: Delivering comprehensive, timely news is what we do best. When a seemingly welcome weather pattern turned into a historic flood, our team scrambled to discover and disseminate the most complete information possible.
Our journalists, photojournalists, editors, and designers were in the heart of the storms, providing round-the-clock coverage. Our carriers and distribution teams did their very best to deliver the newspaper in hazardous situations. Our support and sales staff kept production flowing and communication open. It took a village to deliver the news, and once again, our team didn’t disappoint.
A heartfelt thanks to our dedicated employees, the vast majority of whom were simultaneously dealing with personal flood-related issues. Thanks also to you, our readers, for being an integral part of our coverage and the conversations that followed. Our website traffic ballooned to 2.8 million page views a day at the height of the flood, resulting in more than 17.4 million page views for the month of September thus far. Our Facebook pages gained 4,230 fans. Our Twitter feeds are up 5,405 followers. Our stories and images were forwarded around the world. And we received countless comments via mail, e-mail, our website, and social media: “Please pass along from this longtime resident how much I appreciate [your journalists’ and photojournalists’] hard work and sacrifices …What they do is important; it matters.”
“EXCELLENT seeing the work by neighbors - untrained volunteers - being appreciated and reported.”
“Thank you for mentioning this important story. Please keep looking into it.”
“The coverage and reporting has really been well done. Your staff must be exhausted.”
“Thank you for the updates!”
“Incredible footage ...” “Thank you ... for your wonderful online updates and video coverage during the recent disaster. You have cemented yourself as the true news source ... and out-distanced yourselves from the other media sources during a very critical time.”
Our coverage of the flood’s impact on our community is just beginning. We will be there every step of the way, reporting on relief and recovery efforts, environmental repercussions, resources for victims and volunteers, and personal narratives. We take pride in delivering news that matters, and we invite you to join the conversation.
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 55Z
2013 FLOOD: JAMESTOWN
Helen H. Richardson The Denver Post
This Jamestown home was completely demolished as floodwaters roared through the town, leaving it completely cut off from the surrounding area. Most of the residents eventually were evacuated.
Susan Wills Courtesy photo
People in Jamestown unload supplies from a helicopter on Sept. 13.
Helen H. Richardson The Denver Post
Jamestown resident Colleen Williams gives her neighbor Leon Hill, right, a hug early in the morning of Sept. 15 as they survey the damage along James Canyon Drive.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
A crane can be seen working on roadway near Jamestown in this aerial photo taken from a rescue helicopter on Sept. 17 as it flew over the town, which was among the hardest hit in the area by the flood.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
Keith Bart helps a woman climb aboard a 4th Infantry Division rescue helicopter after being winched up from the destruction in Jamestown on Sept. 17.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
Families cheer as a bus carrying several of the more than 85 Fireside Elementary School fifth graders, who were trapped at Cal-Wood Education Center near Jamestown by the flooding and evacuated Sept. 14, arrives at the school in Louisville.
Mark Leffingwell Daily Camera
Bonnie Dannelly, left, hugs her daughter Makayla after she got off the bus at Fireside Elementary in Louisville on Sept. 14. Makayla was one of more than 85 Fireside students who were trapped at the Cal-Wood Education Center by the flood.
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PAID FOR BY THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
United Methodists helping in Colorado’s recovery When disaster strikes, United Methodists are there to help, regardless of the faith of those in need. Many examples of this are emerging from the historic floods that staggered Northern Colorado two weeks ago.
Stories by United Methodist Communications
Help by the Bucketful Preparing for a long-term disaster relief effort, The United Methodist Church will send in emergency response teams to help with debris removal. Already, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has sent two shipments of supplies, providing 900 cleaning buckets and 2,000 health kits. As soon as television news coverage made clear just how badly some communities around Denver were hit, the Rev. Bradley Laurvick began planning how his church, Highlands United Methodist, could help. He first checked the UMCOR website for information on assembling cleaning buckets. Then he put out a request to his church members for items to fill them, sending an email as well as posting on the church’s Facebook page and two neighborhood websites. Highlands is a small congregation, averaging around 90 worship attendees, but with contributions from nearly every member— supplemented by neighborhood donations—the church assembled 50 buckets. Laurvick calls it a “loaves and fishes” result, nearly doubling his original goal.
Longs Peak United Methodist Church in Longmont, CO has become a dispatch point for buckets assembled by individual churches. “They go out as fast as they come in,” says the Rev. Stephanie Kidwell, pastor at Longs Peak. The church’s director of youth and young adult ministries, Emily Kintzel, and her family have been helping with the efforts despite being evacuated from their own home. “There’s always a need to respond to, and as a church, it’s our responsibility to do that.”
900
cleaning buckets &
Columbine United Church in Columbine, CO, affiliated with The United Methodist Church as well as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and United Church of Christ, delivered more than 80 buckets health kits and 200 health kits to Estes Park. The have shipped, congregation followed up the next day so far with 40 cleaning buckets to Longs Peak. “We had so many people bringing things,” says Barbara Rudolf, the church’s volunteer With transportation assistance from coordinator. “We were packing buckets from 8 in Park Hill United Methodist Church of Denver, the the morning ‘til 5 at night. People were so awesome.” buckets arrived at the Red Cross Center in hard-hit Estes Park on September 21. “The idea of serving Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, and tending to people’s needs … that’s what I hear CO joined the bucket brigade as well, delivering about Jesus asking of us,” Laurvick says. “I also find great 75 to Longs Peak, including 33 that were prepared by motivation in the words of Paul, that when one part of the church’s youth. Lead pastor Rev. Don Bird says, the body suffers, all suffer.” “We are grateful to be in a position to journey with those in need.”
2,000
“What they’re asking is, `Will you go with us as we go out and volunteer in the community? That’s probably the dominant message from churches in the affected areas.” Laurie Day, Rocky Mountain Annual Conference assistant director of mission and ministry
The Rev. Elizabeth McVicker, congregational care pastor of First United Methodist in Cheyenne, WY, says one of her older church members was particularly excited to learn they were partnered with Rinn United Methodist in Frederick, CO. Rinn opened their doors to him back in 1977 when he was stranded there by a
Four United Methodist clergywomen arranged to be in Lyons, CO on Thursday, September 19, to counsel residents returning to witness damage to their homes for the first time after evacuation. “Seeing their lives turned upside down,
“Part of recovery is being present with each other. Look around. Who’s not here? Who needs to hear from you?” Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky, leader of the Rocky Mountain Conference
and the river literally moved from where it once was, is a humbling reminder that our lives are never our own,” says the Rev. Pam Everhart of Niwot United Methodist Church in Longmont. “Nothing is guaranteed except God’s love shown through the power of our love for each other, especially when life is hard.”
How You Can Help
Ambassadors of Love To best serve the hardest-hit communities, the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church has created what it is calling an Ambassadors of Love program, pairing United Methodist churches in badly affected areas with those in areas relatively unscathed. “It’s a buddy system,” says Youngsook Kang, conference director of mission and ministry. The better-off churches are encouraged to pray for and visit their partners, but the real goal is more outward-focused.
S Support t Through Th h the Aftermath
If you would like to make a donation:
major snowstorm. “What a joy to be able to return the grace,” McVicker says. Frasier Meadows is part of the Ambassadors program, even though it’s not a church. The United Methodistaffiliated retirement community in Boulder suffered damage in the floods and was forced to relocate 74 residents. Frasier is partnered with Arvada United Methodist, but has also received help from nearby Mountain View United Methodist Church, itself badly damaged in the floods. The Rev. Gary Haddock, who leads disaster response for the Rocky Mountain Conference, toured both Mountain View and Frasier Meadows last Friday, as well as other affected Methodist sites. He says many of the people he spoke with are still shaken up, given the unexpected, fast, and far-reaching flooding. But he also witnessed resolve among United Methodists to be in the thick of the recovery efforts. “It’s just amazing the way people have responded,” he says. “They want to help, and they’re going out of their way to do that. There’s a great sense of connectedness and a great desire to be of service in God’s honor.”
Text RESPONSE
to 80888 to donate $10 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) or donate online at www.umcor.org Or, go to www.rmcumc.org and click Donate Now to give to the Rocky Mountain Conference Disaster Response Fund. If you would like to help with relief supplies: - Go to www.umcor.org/UMCOR/ReliefSupplies to learn about assembly. - Deliver buckets and health kits that you have assembled to the distribution site at Longs Peak UMC, 1421 Elmhurst Dr., Longmont, CO. If you would like to volunteer: - Go to www.HelpColoradoNow.org.
For more information on what you can do, and how United Methodists reach out to neighbors in need, visit www.umc.org/disaster
- Contact the Colorado VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) Distribution Center at (970) 962-2020 for staffing/stocking opportunities in Loveland, CO.