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.
Flagstaff road opens Sat., sort of.
Nov 16th
Sunshine Canyon and Flagstaff Opening; Bike Resident Access Cards Available for Pick-Up
Boulder County, Colo. – Due to the recent progress by CDOT and County Transportation Department crews and contractors, as well as the successful temporary opening of Sunshine Canyon last Sunday, Boulder County will open up both Sunshine Canyon and Flagstaff Road to all users at all times starting on Saturday, Nov. 16. As committed, the county has monitored and conditions on these roads and, due to the recent progress, will be opening the roads to all users.
With the re-opening of SH72 in Coal Creek Canyon by CDOT and the anticipated completion of most of the emergency shoulder repairs on Flagstaff by County Road Maintenance by the weekend, there will be less commuter traffic on Flagstaff, and the road will be safer for all users. For Flagstaff to remain open for all users, it is important that everyone complies with the one lane signal where the road has been washed out.
Flagstaff Road will open, sort of
Sunshine Canyon is now open to all users with completion of the two-lane temporary winter access road along 4 Mile Creek between Boulder Canyon and Salina. The opening of the 4 Mile winter access road should reduce construction vehicle traffic on Sunshine Canyon and Poorman Roads.
What: Cycling allowed in Sunshine Canyon and on Flagstaff Road.
When: Indefinitely, starting Saturday Nov. 16
Who: All motorists and cyclists allowed
Where: All of Sunshine Canyon and Flagstaff Road
These roads will be open to cyclists and motorists for the foreseeable future, save for situations in which dangerous conditions or further significant road reconstruction requires temporary restrictions. Those closures will be posted when the schedules of repairs are finalized.
Bicyclists living on restricted access roads may obtain a bike resident access card that allows legal access the road. The resident access cards are available for cyclists who use their bikes as their primary mode of transportation and use restricted access roads for access. Visit the Boulder County Sheriff’s office to obtain a permit.
Boulder County Transportation Director George Gerstle said “We would like to thank everyone, motorists and bicyclists alike, for their patience while we repair the county roads as quickly as possible. We will be asking for even more patience and understanding when we ask everyone to avoid certain roads for limited times as we continue our work to fix the county roads. We want to remind all residents that while we are making progress on repairing the roads, we still have more to do (please refer to www.BoulderCountyFlood.org for updates), and may have to periodically restrict travel on some roads during periods of construction and repair.
“During this challenging recovery phase, please be considerate of affected residents and stay out of heavily damaged areas. Everyone is working hard to recover and rebuild, and we ask that people respect their work and stay away from damaged areas of the county unless there is a good reason to be there.”
For more information about this opening, or for information about alternative cycling routes during road reconstruction, please contact Hannah Polow at 720-564-2864 or hpolow@bouldercounty.org.
FEMA extends flood deadlines
Nov 8th
City urges residents and businesses to seek all available aid
Federal agency extends deadlines for disaster assistance and clarifies who can file flood insurance claims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended its deadlines for individuals and businesses seeking financial disaster assistance related to the September flood. Anyone interested in being considered for this aid must register with FEMA no later than Nov. 30, 2013, for individual assistance or Small Business Administration loans. You can do this online at www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
In addition, FEMA wants property owners to know that National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in any Colorado county are eligible to file a flood claim under this program. Policy holders do not have to live in a disaster-designated county. These claims must be filed within 60 days of the date of loss, so these deadlines are approaching soon.
The City of Boulder urges anyone impacted by the flood to reach out to FEMA and seek all available aid if you have been impacted by the flood.
–CITY–
Flood rebuilding Hazard Mitigation Review applications to begin November 4
Nov 2nd
Updated Land Use Code regulations seek to ensure public safety and properties are protected through hazard mitigation and planning
Boulder County, Colo. – Updates to the Boulder County Land Use Code were recently approved by the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners to allow for the rebuilding of structures in the unincorporated areas of the county that were destroyed or severely damaged in the September 2013 flood event. The interim changes aim to ensure that public safety and properties are protected through hazard mitigation.
The Land Use Department will begin accepting appointments for onsite pre-application meetings for the Hazard Mitigation Review beginning Monday, November 4. Affected property owners should call the Flood Rebuilding and Permit Information Center at 303-441-1705 to sign up for an appointment.
Flood-impacted residents of unincorporated Boulder County who have questions about the rebuilding process are encouraged to call, email or stop by the Flood Rebuilding & Permit Information Center to speak with a staff member. The center is staffed by functional experts in onsite wastewater (septic) systems, floodplain regulations, transportation (including bridges and driveways), planning and building codes.
Flood Rebuilding & Permit Information Center:
Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. M–F
Location: Boulder County Land Use Department, 2045 13th St., Boulder (map)
Contact: floodrecovery@bouldercounty.org or 303-441-1705
The purpose of interim regulations is to allow for the rebuilding of destroyed or severely damaged structures without formal Site Plan Review, when it can be done in a safe manner through Hazard Mitigation Review. The regulations allow for flexibility for damaged structures to be rebuilt in different locations if significantly better from a risk hazard standpoint, and would retain applicability of the County’s floodplain development regulations.
After receiving public input the Board decided to not have a specific end date for these provisions; however staff has committed to additional regulation revisions in the coming months to aid property owners who were affected by this disaster.
As of October 31, preliminary damage assessments by the Land Use Department showed that, in unincorporated Boulder County approximately 72 properties have structures that were destroyed or significantly damaged, and 145 properties have structures with major structural damage. The numbers of destroyed or significantly damaged properties are still preliminary and incomplete – and will change – as more damage assessment is done and data is refined. Hundreds more properties were flood-affected but did not experience structural damage.
Visit www.bouldercountyflood.org for rebuilding resources and more information on flood recovery.
