Fires, Floods, Snow extremes
Breaking news about Wild Land Fires & Floods and snow storms in the Boulder, Colorado area.
From our mountain neighbors: road damage and homes on the brink
Sep 15th
- Town of Nederland Road Conditions Update at 11:20am Please be advised — roads are softening across the town due to the ongoing rains. Some areas are inaccessible — including the Big Springs neighborhood at Peakview Road and at the intersection of Alpine and Big Springs Drive. All residents are urged to stay off all roads. Do not attempt to drive around any cones or barricades.
- Magnolia Road Update at 11:45am: #97 between Magnolia Rd and #72 is now impassable. Road is flooded and washed away in spots.
None of these images is of his area nor house, but it’ll give you the confirmation that one of the major problems is and will be the severely eroded and continuing to erode soil …. His short email says it all for them :
Here are a few photos taken on our walk through Blue Mt. yesterday. We are just one small community of hundreds affected by this epic storm. I’m sure the cost of it all will be into the billions. Coal Creek Canyon just to our west is washed out and will take months to repair, stranding the few thousand folks on the west side of the washouts. They will still be able to get out, but it will take an hour or two to get to work, normally a 30 or 40 minute drive. The only impact to us so far is the loss of natural gas so cold showers and no heat, not that we need heat right now. Unseen are the tens of thousands of flooded basements in neighborhoods that from the street look unaffected. Damage for each of those will be in the thousands to replace carpets and furniture. Few of us have flood insurance. Just last week we were worried about the threat of fire.
[includeme file=”/media/boulderfloodsponsors.txt]
All Boulder OSMP properties closed until further notice
Sep 15th
In the wake of torrential rain and flooding, the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) department requests that citizens respect an emergency order and stay off all OSMP properties. The flooding has caused rockslides and mudslides, which have led to the destabilized bridges and other significant hazards.
Many trees have had their roots compromised, and there is a danger they may come down suddenly. Rocks have also been tumbling down hillsides and they could cause serious injury. Staff needs time to identify and mitigate these dangerous situations.
“Teams that normally assist injured people on OSMP are busy with search and rescue effort around the county,” said Joe Reale, OSMP’s ranger supervisor. “First responder resources are limited at this time.”
OSMP staff members are working hard at assessing the damage. OSMP will reopen areas of the system when it is determined that areas are safe and that users will not be causing additional resource damage.
City Manager Jane Brautigam issued an emergency order Thursday (Sept. 12) afternoon that closed all OSMP properties in response to rain and flooding that has caused these safety concerns. The order is in effect until further notice.
–CITY–
Jennelle Freeston
Coordinator of Volunteer Services
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
66 South Cherryvale Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303
FreestonJ@bouldercolorado.govOSMP
[includeme file=”/media/boulderfloodsponsors.txt]
Latest from Boulder EOM on flood: Lefthand water, Boulder water, mountain routes closed
Sep 14th
Emergency Status
This page displays all public information that has been released about emergencies occurring in our community.
We are committed to posting updates as soon as new and verified details become available. The information is displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent updates at the top. If you are keeping this page up, PLEASE REFRESH PERIODICALLY FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION.
9-14-2013 Next Media Briefing Scheduled for 5:00pm
The next media briefing is scheduled for 5 p.m. MST today . City and county officials along with the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team will be providing updates. This is instead of the 4:30 p.m. briefing that was announced this morning. We switched the time at the request of media outlets that plan to carry the conference live at 5 p.m.
9-14-2013 11:00am Left Hand Water District Clarification
There has been some confusion about the boil water advisory that was sent out for the Left Hand Water district. The advisory was for those served by the Left Hand Water district only, if you are served by Left Hand Water district you would pay your bill directly to them. City of Boulder, Gunbarrel, City of Longmont, Town of Lafayette, Eldorado Springs, and Town of Erie drinking water continues to be safe to drink. If your drinking water is purchased from the any of those districts, you do not have to boil it.
Some residents appear to have received the phone call from the Left Hand Water District to boil water. The phone call was sent to a geographic area, but there were some water customers included that are not served by the Left Hand Water district and some got the call inadvertently. Check your water bill to determine who your water provider is. If you are in an HOA or a multifamily or rental unit and your water bill is paid by the HOA or your landlord, ask them to confirm who provides your water. Visit lefthandwater.org and scroll down to the “District Service Clarification” section for more information.
The Town of Lyons still continue to be under a boil water advisory.
9-14-2013 9 a.m. Media Briefing Summary
- Emergency personnel are focusing on life safety search and rescue operations.
- Lots of air support will be used throughout the day to evacuate people.
- Numerous mountain roads are flooded, damaged and impassable, making rescue operations more challenging.
- Transportation crews are working on repairing roads for rescue and evacuation efforts.
- More than 200 people are unaccounted for, but necessarily missing. Emergency officials are working hard to collect an updated list of names from hospitals, shelters and evacuation sites.
- Sunshine Canyon is the only access route to Nederland and is open to emergency vehicles only.
- Approximately 50 people are still in Jamestown and law enforcement personnel are urging them to evacuate as it is not known when the roads will be repaired.
- Officials are urging people to stay off the roads, especially in the mountains, to allow emergency personnel to do their job.
- The children at the Cal-Wood Education Center will be rescued today.
- Officials are still working on a plan for debris and trash removal. Please do not leave debris in streets as this may impede safety vehicles.
- No immediate threat to drinking water in Boulder, Erie, Lafayette or Longmont. Please limit discretionary water usage, to the extent possible.
- Stay out of floodwaters, which are contaminated and unsafe.
Thanks to all of the evacuation centers, federal partners and the community for all your continue patience and support.
9-14-13 8:50 a.m. City of Boulder Water is Safe to Drink
City of Boulder drinking water continues to be safe to drink. If your drinking water is purchased from the City of Boulder, you do not have to boil it. Some residents appear to have received the phone call from the Left Hand Water District to boil water. The phone call was sent to a geographic area, but there are also City of Boulder water customers in that area and some got the call inadvertently. However, if you get your drinking water from the City of Boulder, you do NOT need to boil water. Check your water bill to determine who your water provider is. If you are in an HOA or a multifamily or rental unit and your water bill is paid by the HOA or your landlord, ask them to confirm who provides your water.
Visit lefthandwater.org and scroll down to the “District Service Clarification” section for more information.