Boulder Flood 2013
Boulder Channel 1 coverage of the 2013 Boulder flood . We have one video feed of live emergency scanner traffic. Another live channel is our Mobile channel where we go around Boulder with live broadcasts of various scenes of the flooding. Plus , video coverage, photos and news stories.
City/County: Look east and south for rentals
Sep 27th
Those impacted by flooding encouraged to seek housing rentals along U.S. 36 corridor (south and southeast of the City of Boulder)
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County residents displaced from their homes by the recent flooding are being encouraged to search for affordable rental housing outside the county as soon as possible. Prior to the flooding, rental vacancy rates across Boulder County were between one and three percent, and have already fallen further due to competition created by the flooding. In particular, residents needing affordable rental units are urged to search southeast and south of Boulder County along the U.S. 36 corridor.
“We don’t know right now how long repairs will take for both houses and roads, and we want our impacted residents to have a realistic view of what’s necessary in terms of finding temporary housing,” said Frank Alexander, Director of the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (BCDHHS). “The sooner the rental search begins in places like Broomfield, Westminster, Arvada, Brighton, and Golden, the better it will be for those who’ve had to move from their homes because of the flooding.”
Polling of rental property owners indicates few affordable rental units are currently available in Boulder County. Residents are encouraged to broaden searches to include smaller units and apartments, and to discuss their options for shorter-term leases with property owners. Residents are also urged to be sure they know their rights as renters. Boulder County has a list of available housing assistance resources, including information for renters, atwww.BoulderCountyFlood.org.
“Unfortunately, there is no quick solution to the shortage of rental units in Boulder County,” said Boulder County Commissioner Cindy Domenico. “We want to be sure our residents know they may need to look outside Boulder County to meet their housing needs.”
Many displaced residents may be able to find housing with family, friends, or neighbors. As with other rental types, those who qualify for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may have the option of using the funds to help cover up to two months of rent payments. A legal lease is required to obtain FEMA funding to help cover rent payments.
Boulder County continues to help operate two Disaster Assistance Centers: 1) Twin Peaks Mall (1250 S. Hover Road at Highway 119) in Longmont, and at 5495 Arapahoe Avenue (near the intersection of 55th and Arapahoe) in Boulder. Among other services, both locations offer FEMA assistance as well as resources for food, financial help, volunteer cleanup, and other housing options.
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Seven more OSMP trails opened Friday
Sep 27th
The City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department opened more trails near Chautauqua, along with several other area trailheads today. On Friday, OSMP opened:
- Enchanted Mesa trail
- Four Pines trail
- McClintock trail
- Kohler Mesa Trail to the Four Pines junction
- Woods Quarry trail
- Bobolink trailhead and the South Boulder Creek bike path to the East Boulder Recreation Center
- Flatirons Vista trailhead. A portion of the Flatirons Vista South trail remains closed.
- Foothills trailhead. Visitors can park there to access Boulder Valley Ranch and Mesa Reservoir trails. However, the Hogback Ridge remains closed.
All open OSMP trails are listed at http://bit.ly/15msF85 and at BoulderFloodInfo.net. Newly opened trails are currently accessible from dawn to dusk, and visitors must remain on-trail because of potential hazards and safety risks. OSMP stresses that the re-opened trails are substantially different from pre-flood conditions.
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City wants citizen reports to document the flood
Sep 27th
The City of Boulder has launched a ‘Community Flood Assessment’ crowdsourcing map to capture flood data and stories from Boulder residents and businesses. This resident-scientist approach will empower the Boulder community to contribute to our shared learning and documentation of this historic event.
Community submittals are called ‘reports,’ and users can attach photos or videos to enhance their story or data submittals. The easy-to-use map creates geo-located pins associated with specific date-and-time categories like:
Residents are asked to backdate reports, so all users can have a better understanding of what happened and when (i.e. post data when it actually happened, not with the current date and time).
This specific data on place-and-time flooding activities will assist in the city in assessing the entire flood event and help inform future planning efforts.
The mapping application, called Crowdmap (powered by Ushahidi), was originally designed and built to crowdsource crisis information. The mapping application can be used on a desktop computer and is also Smartphone enabled with apps for both iPhone and Android devices.
Residents are encouraged to read the Crowdmap Terms of Use and Privacy notice. Once posted, all data, photos and videos become public domain and can be used by all site users including the City of Boulder.
For more Boulder flood information, visit www.BoulderFloodinfo.net or sign up for flood info updates right to your email inbox.
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