Sheriff's Office: Larimer County flooding information update

With additional rain falling today the primary focus continues to be life safety and assessing conditions related to public safety resources. FEMA is bringing in two, 80-person search and rescue teams today to assist with operations. A Type II team arrived yesterday with 50 additional people to help with planning, coordination and resource allocation for all areas of Larimer County.

* Additional rainfall expected today is around 2-4″ and is expected to cause additional flooding

• There are now 16 helicopters to help with evacuations and bringing in emergency personnel to areas needed; however, because of weather conditions those helicopters are not flying right now. Teams are still able to complete emergency work on the ground even if the helicopters are not flying

• Regular phone and cellular phone service has been re-established to residents in Estes Park.

• There are now 482 unaccounted for persons.

• There will be two meetings this evening for evacuees. One in Fort Collins, one in Loveland; details are below.

• We have a report of an 80-year-old woman in Cedar Cove area that is missing and presumed dead. This woman was injured in her home and unable to leave and when friends returned with help the home had been washed away. This is in addition to the 60-year-old Cedar Cove woman who was reported missing and presumed dead from yesterday.

• At this time we still have no confirmed fatalities.

EVACUATION AREAS/SHELTERS

• Residents with medical emergencies remain the priority for evacuations at this time. Search and Rescue teams are being dropped into numerous areas to assess the situation and contact stranded residents.

• Shelters have been set up in the following areas:
Thompson Valley School Admin Bldg in Loveland – 800 S. Taft Avenue
Lyons Elementary School in Lyons – North of High Street on 4th
Pinewood Springs Fire Department in Lyons – 61 Kiowa Road
Mountain View Bible Fellowship in Estes Park – Highway 7 at Peak View Drive
Tavelli Elementary in Fort Collins – 1118 Miramont Drive
Timberline Church in Fort Collins – 2908 South Timberline Road

• The Ranch in Loveland is accepting large animals from evacuees.

TRAVEL INFORMATION AND ROAD CLOSURES/OPENINGS
The National Guard is assisting with traffic control and roadblocks. In addition to the numerous county road closures, the following Main Roads remain closed in Larimer County:
• U.S. 34 between Glade Road and Estes Park
• SH 14 between Ted’s Place and Walden
• U.S. 287 at Big Thompson River in Loveland from SH 402 to 5th Street
**I-25 is now OPEN in both directions from Denver to Wyoming State Line**
** U.S. 287 is now open in Fort Collins from MM 347 to MM348**

For a complete list of County Road closures, please refer to the website:
larimer.org/roads

For a complete list of road closures State wide, a web page has been set up at: www.coloradodot.info/travel/colorado-flood-highway-updates.

BUILDING/ROAD SAFETY

• Even if you do not see water damage and structural problems, it can still be there. It is critical for your safety that you not attempt to reenter evacuated areas or closed roadways/bridges without updated information.

• DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER OR PASS ROAD BLOCKS – You are putting your life and those of emergency responders at risk if you do.

FINDING MISSING FRIENDS AND FAMILY

• To report a missing or unaccounted person in Larimer County, please call 970-498-5500.

• The American Red Cross Safe and Well website should be used to find someone or post information about your location for your family and friends. This website is www.safeandwell.org. The Red Cross is currently working on registering all evacuees at the local shelters.

ROAD CONDITIONS

• As of 10:00 PM on 9-13-13 a route has been established for emergency personnel and residents of Estes Park. This route is not for public travel and is only for ESSENTIAL emergency personnel and residents of Estes Park who are trying to evacuate or obtain supplies.

• The Poudre Canyon has minimal damage, but remains closed to the public. Rist Canyon has some damage, but residents are not stranded and are able to get out. This area is also still closed to the public. Buckhorn Canyon has extensive road damage and in some areas the road was washed away completely. The Crystal Mountain Community is above where the water went through, but residents in this area are stranded. Big Thompson Canyon has extensive road damage and the communities of Drake, Glen Haven and Cedar Park remain isolated with no road access at this time.

PHONE/SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION

• The public information line is 970-498-5500. This number can also be used to report missing or unaccounted person(s) in Larimer County. For life threatening emergencies, dial 9-1-1. Sign up to receive emergency notifications on your cell phone and email at leta911.org.

• Local Residents can call United Way 211 for to volunteer, give donations, get shelter information and community information. Non-local residents can call 1-866-485-0211 for the same information.

• The most current updates can be found on our Facebook and Twitter sites:
www.facebook.com/larimersheriff and @LarimerSheriff

• Website updates at:
www.larimersheriff.org
www.larimer.org/emergency
www.larimer.org/flooding2013/

EVACUEE AND MEDIA BRIEFINGS

• There will be an evacuee meeting in Loveland at 5 p.m. this evening at the Thompson Valley School Administration building. This meeting is not open to the public. Speakers will include: Loveland Police Chief Luke Hecker, Fire Chief Randy Mirowski, Public Works Director Keith Reester and Chief Building Inspector Tom Hawkinson Sheriff Justin Smith, Executive Officer Nick Christensen and Representatives of the Type II Incident Command Team and Red Cross.

• There will be an evacuee meeting in Fort Collins tonight, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Timberline Church. This meeting is not open to the public. Speakers will include: Commissioner Steve Johnson, Sheriff Justin Smith, Executive Officer Nick Christensen and Representatives of the Type II Incident Command Team and Red Cross.

• Media is discouraged from attending these meetings as there will be separate media briefings; however, if media does attend we ask they hold questions as these meetings are just for evacuees.

*Media Briefings will continue to be held daily at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office until further notice.*

BASIC SAFETY TIPS

• Stay out of flood water – it can be contaminated.
• If you feel unsafe at your home, trust your instincts and go to a shelter. You do not need to wait for a notification to evacuate if you feel threatened.
• Flooding is causing blocked roadways in low-lying areas. Hazardous road conditions exist throughout Larimer County, please limit travel and watch for road blocks at low-lying areas due to high water. Do not venture out unless absolutely necessary.
• All residents in low-lying areas are asked to be on alert for rising water. Be prepared to evacuate if needed.
• Residents in are asked to limit driving, especially in mountain communities as gasoline may become scarce due to washed out roads.