historic mountain flooding in colorado after a hot, dry summer marked by drought and wildfires...
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HISTORIC MOUNTAIN FLOODING IN COLORADO AFTER A HOT,
DRY SUMMER MARKED BY DROUGHT AND WILDFIRES
SEPTEMBER, 15, 2013
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia,
USA
Boulder, with a population of about 100,000, is located 25 miles (40 km) northwest of
Denver and sited at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of
5,430 feet (1,655 m).
IMMEDIATE IMPACTS
• WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CLOSED
• SCHOOLS CLOSED
• MUDSLIDES
• INUNDATION
• ISOLATED MTN. COMMUNITIES
• FOOD AND WATER DEPLETED
Miles from the Rocky Mountains, debris-filled rivers became
muddy seas that overflowed banks and extended into towns
and inundated farms
CUMMULATIVE IMPACTS(To Date)
• $ 150 MILLION IN DAMAGES
• THOUSANDS EVACUATED
• COMMUNITIES ISOLATED
• NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATED
• FEDERAL ASSISTANCE APPROVED
• 1,200 STRANDED
• AT LEAST 5 DEAD