Events
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Boulder flood season a-comin' and it could be a bad mofo
Apr 13th
Colorado Severe Weather Week reminds community to be Flood Aware
Colorado Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 15 to April 22, and the City of Boulder, Boulder County and the University of Colorado would like to remind community members that along with severe weather comes flash floods. Flash floods in Boulder can happen at any time throughout the year.
Boulder is the number one flash flood risk community in Colorado due to its location at the mouth of Boulder Canyon, the number of people who live and work within the Boulder Creek floodplain, and the numerous other drainage basins running through the city. Therefore, flood safety and preparation is always a high priority for the community.
Boulder Creek flooded in 1894 and covered what is now Canyon BLVD,
Since the Fourmile Canyon Fire occurred in 2010, the flood risk to Boulder Creek and Fourmile Canyon Creek has increased due to a lack of vegetation and permeable soil in the burn area. If a severe storm were to occur over the burn area, rain runoff and flooding would be greater than in the past. This increased flood potential could last anywhere from 2 to 10 years until the landscape starts to recover.
The City of Boulder and its partners are working together to prepare for the season and to educate community members on how to prepare.
What can you do?
Be alert. It can be raining in the mountains and burn area but be dry in Boulder. Rainfall in the burn area could result in:
- Muddy or murky creek water downstream.
- Creek levels rising more quickly.
- Higher frequency of flooded underpasses.
- Increased possibility of flash flooding.
If it is raining, avoid seeking shelter in underpasses. Many of Boulder’s underpasses serve the double purpose of conveying flood waters and will flood when creeks overflow.
Remember, flash floods can literally occur IN A FLASH during a severe storm. In 2011, several people went to Boulder Creek to try to witness flooding as it was occurring. This is unwise and dangerous. People should NOT go to the creek when flood waters are rising. Flash floods are not like floods in other parts of the country that rise gradually. A significant flash flood could sweep down a creek in a matter of minutes, leaving little time to get to safety.
It’s important that residents and people who work in Boulder keep track of the weather and know the dangers. Here are some steps residents and employees can take to increase their safety if a flood event should occur in Boulder:
Before a flood – Be ready:
- Have a plan for where to meet in an emergency and make sure children know where to go when they are at school or away from home.
- Keep an emergency kit accessible. Include a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, flashlights, rubber boots and gloves, first-aid supplies, medicines, water stored in tightly-sealed containers and food that requires no cooking or refrigeration.
- If you’re concerned about your property being flooded or are in a floodplain, purchase flood insurance. A homeowner’s insurance policy will NOT cover flood damage. There is a 30-day waiting period before new coverage goes into effect.
- Fill out a Family Flood Action Plan and post it in your home. Visit www.boulderfloodinfo.net to print one or pick one up at one of the Boulder Public Library or at the city’s Municipal Building at 1777 Broadway.
- Sign up to get emergency alerts sent to you on your phone, email or Twitter account atwww.BoCo911Alert.com. CU students, faculty and staff can sign up for CU Alerts athttp://www.colorado.edu/alerts.
During a flood:
- Move to higher ground immediately.
- Stay out of flowing waters. Swift moving waters may sweep people away.
- Avoid driving through flooded areas. Cars float in 18 inches of water, and half of all flood fatalities are auto related.
- Stay away from power lines and electrical wires. Electrocution is the number two killer in floods.
- If time allows, turn off electricity and gas.
- When an emergency warning is issued by sirens, radio or other media, seek information immediately. Tune radios and televisions to local news stations.
There is no way to predict whether flooding will occur. It is dependent on many variables including intensity, duration and location of storms as well as existing soil conditions. The best course of action is to be alert and be prepared. The city maintains a flood information website that can help residents prepare before, during and after a flood event. For more information about personal preparedness, visit www.boulderfloodinfo.net.
CU Conference offers world affairs dialogue in its 64th year
Mar 28th
CU’s Conference on World Affairs offers
political dialogue ‘as it should be’
political dialogue ‘as it should be’
The University of Colorado Boulder’s annual Conference on World Affairs returns to campus for the 64th time April 9-13, with 200 events including panel discussions, performances and plenaries.
More than 100 participants from around the country and the globe will pay their own way to travel to Boulder to participate in what Roger Ebert termed “the Conference on Everything Conceivable.”
“The Conference on World Affairs is one of the few events in the country where both sides of the political spectrum can come together to have wide-ranging bipartisan discussion,” said Juli Steinhauer, CWA co-chair. “It’s dialogue as it should be.”
Mike Franc, vice president of government studies at the Heritage Foundation, echoes Steinhauer’s words, “As conferences go, the Conference on World Affairs is entirely unique. Conferences that address the major issues of the day are a dime a dozen, as are conferences that sort the like-minded into windowless hotel ballrooms or exclusive resorts to preach their shared perspectives to one another. The organizers of the CWA, in contrast, work overtime to invite participants with a variety of opinions.”
The 2012 keynote address will be delivered by Alice Rivlin, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and founding director of the independent, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Her address “Can the Center Hold: Democracy and Governance in a Polarized America” will take place in Macky Auditorium on Monday, April 9, at 11:30 a.m. Rivlin will be introduced by CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano.
The keynote address will be preceded by the CWA’s colorful annual opening procession. Led by Rivlin and DiStefano at 11:10 a.m., the procession will advance through the avenue of international flags on display in Norlin Quad and into Macky Auditorium.
Leading Republican strategist Mark McKinnon will deliver a talk titled “The Architecture of a Successful Message” on Wednesday, April 11, at 11:30 a.m. in Macky Auditorium. McKinnon is the global vice chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies and is the co-founder of No Labels, a political organization made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents whose mission is to address the politics of problem solving.
New York Times columnist Drew Westen will deliver a plenary talk on “How Politics Lost the American People” on Monday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m. in Macky Auditorium. Westen is a leading voice on the psychology of politics and is the author of “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.” He has been a political adviser for a range of candidates and organizations, from presidential and congressional campaigns to Fortune 500 companies.
“Particularly in a presidential election year, when so many issues will be bubbling to the surface, I’m really looking forward to this year’s Conference on World Affairs,” said Westen. “It will be a pleasure to be in an environment where thinkers left, right and center can have a civil conversation without all the posturing and venom that comes out in a political season.”
As always, the CWA will offer not just political sessions, but a broad range of subjects and speakers. Conference panels and performances encompass everything from music and literature to environment and science, journalism, visual arts, diplomacy, technology, film, business, medicine and human rights.
Some additional highlights from the 2012 schedule include:
–Bill Reinert, the national manager of advanced technology for Toyota who leads efforts on research, design and marketing of alternative-fueled vehicles and emerging technologies, will deliver a plenary address on the topic “Peak Oil” in Macky Auditorium on Wednesday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m.
–Chicago Sun-Times technology columnist and longtime CWA favorite Andy Ihnatko will give a plenary talk on Steve Jobs and Apple on Wednesday, April 11, at 12:30 p.m. in the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom. Ihnatko also is a longtime columnist for Macworld magazine and one of the most in-demand commentators on Apple.
–Grammy-winning pianists, composers and brothers Dave and Don Grusin will close the week with a talking and piano-playing duet at Macky Auditorium on Friday, April 13, at 2:30 p.m.
Members of the public attending CWA are encouraged to use public transportation, as there will be no event parking on campus. Free parking is offered on the third level of the Macy’s parking structure at the Twenty Ninth Street shopping mall in Boulder, located at the southwest corner of 30th Street and Walnut Street, from which a free HOP bus ride is available to campus during CWA week.
The HOP will run on its normal route arriving every 7 to 10 minutes between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. The two stops nearest the Macy’s parking structure are at 29th Street and Walnut Street and 30th Street and Walnut Street.
For a complete schedule and more information visit the Conference on World Affairs website at http://www.colorado.edu/cwa.
Even YOU can own a home in Boulder
Feb 22nd
Affordable homes open house event scheduled for Feb. 26
Interested homebuyers have an opportunity to tour 18 affordable properties in the City of Boulder’s Homeownership Program during open houses being held Sunday, Feb. 26, from noon to 3 p.m. To view pictures of available homes and get a list of properties participating in this event, visit www.boulderaffordablehomes.com and click on the Homeownership Program link.
Homes available for viewing include studios, condos, townhomes and single family homes starting at around $100,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath condo and $200,000 for a three-bedroom, 3-bath row home.
The City of Boulder, through the affordable Homeownership Program, works to make homes available to a variety of people in our community. This includes those who could not otherwise purchase a home in today’s housing market. The program offers opportunities for homeownership to those with low and moderate incomes through assistance in purchasing homes sold at affordable prices, or through down payment assistance on market rate homes. Assistance is available for a variety of income levels.
For more information on the program, homes available, income and asset requirements, or the date of the next free program orientation visit www.boulderaffordablehomes.com or call 303-441-3157, ext. 2. The Homeownership Program is administered by the City of Boulder, Department of Housing and Human Services.
