Colorado's worst natural disaster*
Today is the 30th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood, the worst natural disaster in Colorado history. (Some of my regular readers will remember it firsthand.)
For those who don't know, the Big Thompson Flood (named for the canyon in which it took place) was a flash flood that hit without any warning sending water through the canyon at a mind-boggling 31, 200 cubic feet per second. At least 144 are known to have died that night, and 88 people were injured. Seven victims have never been located. The devastation of those two hours led to large scale research and development for better warning systems and building standards in flood-prone areas across the country.
That day, my husband (then 7 years old) and his family had spent the day in Estes Park. They were driving back home to Fort Collins when it started raining. Eric complained that he was hungry, so the family stopped at a restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat. Before they left the restaurant, word came in that the highway on which they were to travel home had been completely washed away by the flood - a flood they didn't even know about until that moment. They sought higher ground and traveled home the next day by a different route. The grumblings of my husband's hungry belly had saved his family's life.
The 25th anniversary of the flood came only two weeks after my first date with Eric. Yet, during those two weeks we drove through the canyon together and he told me all about it and showed me various landmarks. So, the information was fresh in my mind when it was on the news five years ago, and I remember writing about it in my diary. I mentioned this to Eric as we watched a commemoration on the news tonight. He said it, too: Can that really have been five whole years ago?
Some who read this blog have their own memories of the night of the flood. Please share them in the comments section! Between the anniversary of the flood and my trip to the Central City Opera on Tuesday, it's been a very educational week for me in terms of Colorado history!
*The death toll of the 1921 flood in Pueblo may have been higher, but was not well documented. Estimates of lives lost in that flood range from 100 to 350.
For those who don't know, the Big Thompson Flood (named for the canyon in which it took place) was a flash flood that hit without any warning sending water through the canyon at a mind-boggling 31, 200 cubic feet per second. At least 144 are known to have died that night, and 88 people were injured. Seven victims have never been located. The devastation of those two hours led to large scale research and development for better warning systems and building standards in flood-prone areas across the country.
That day, my husband (then 7 years old) and his family had spent the day in Estes Park. They were driving back home to Fort Collins when it started raining. Eric complained that he was hungry, so the family stopped at a restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat. Before they left the restaurant, word came in that the highway on which they were to travel home had been completely washed away by the flood - a flood they didn't even know about until that moment. They sought higher ground and traveled home the next day by a different route. The grumblings of my husband's hungry belly had saved his family's life.
The 25th anniversary of the flood came only two weeks after my first date with Eric. Yet, during those two weeks we drove through the canyon together and he told me all about it and showed me various landmarks. So, the information was fresh in my mind when it was on the news five years ago, and I remember writing about it in my diary. I mentioned this to Eric as we watched a commemoration on the news tonight. He said it, too: Can that really have been five whole years ago?
Some who read this blog have their own memories of the night of the flood. Please share them in the comments section! Between the anniversary of the flood and my trip to the Central City Opera on Tuesday, it's been a very educational week for me in terms of Colorado history!
*The death toll of the 1921 flood in Pueblo may have been higher, but was not well documented. Estimates of lives lost in that flood range from 100 to 350.
Labels: reminiscing
posted by DenverSop @ 12:30 AM
2 Comments:
At 8/01/2006 10:20 AM,
Mellifluous said…
Its a good week to learn Colorado history...Today is Colorado Day! Happy 130th Birthday to my favorite state!
At 8/01/2006 11:48 PM,
DenverSop said…
Fantastic! Would you believe you're not the first person to wish me a happy Colorado Day today? Eric beat you to it. I've lived here for 15 years and this is the first time I've ever been wished a happy Colorado Day!
Post a Comment
<< Home