posted
There have been some mudslides from rain that has hit burn scars from fires last year and this year.
Most of the mudslides in the past two weeks have closed many highways for 5 hours or more. In the mountains, there aren't back roads as alternate routes. If the road is closed and it is your route home, you are stranded until the road reopens.
Tonight we had a lot of rain in a short period of time and it was all in the wrong areas. Every drop of the torrential down pour hit the burn scar areas. Colorado Springs has asked the state for disaster relief. Water has flooded many of the businesses in that city. Houses have washed away and most of El Paso County has been hit hard.
Route 24 has been closed since 6 pm and just now has opened up the east side where they will have one lane going each way. Twenty cars were caught in the flood and mudslide.
Most of the cars are totaled but as of now, they believe only two people were injured. Tow trucks are still removing those cars that were stranded and the debris on the west side of 24 is unbelievable. There are huge boulders, lots of mud, trees and metal pipe all over the road.
My husband left work at 4 pm and he still is not home and it is 9:45 pm here. We are hoping he will be able to get home tonight.
If you have friends in the Colorado Springs, Manitou area, you might want to contact them to make sure they are alright.
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Goodness dear! So sorry you are experiencing such trauma and dangerous situations.
Mudslides I know and remember well from Hurricane Camille (1969). That monster came through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and totally destroyed so much, and many lost their lives as a result of the mudslides.
So PLEASE be very careful. Follow all of the rules, and hubby too, like turn around, don't drown!
Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing!!! OK?
posted
My husband just got home. They took eastbound 24 and made the two lanes one lane in each direction. It took him 7+ hours to get home tonight. At least he is home!
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
Uh oh. I know someone whose house in Waldo Canyon was burned down, just rebuilt recently. Hope it was rebuilt somewhere else, or maybe this flooding hit them too. Yikes.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Whew! That's a long way home! Glad you guys are OK! I pray others will be safe too.
We had a flash flood here Wed night about 2 miles away. We are high and dry. No one was killed but several had to be rescued. One was hanging onto a basketball hoop! (and the tree it was attached to)
The creek rose 15 ft in 25 minutes! We had 8 inches of rain in 6 hours and were water-soaked when the rains began.
About 15 businesses destroyed or royally messed up and 10 mobile homes destroyed. One was washed into the creek and has not been seen! About 50 homes damaged. Our community will take care of them. No worries. I think 15 cars were destroyed too.
Too much rain over here and many other places!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
One person is confirmed dead from the flash flood on hwy 24. We are hoping they can clean up all the mud and debris today.
We can't go into town until they do. The other side of hwy 24 is usually a two lane road and now it is east and west bound so traffic is terrible there.
Colorado is a drought state so we welcome the rain but with this particular fire in Waldo Canyon last year, the water runs through that canyon and ends up on the main road through the mountains.
I know other parts of the US are flooding from too much rain but if the burn scars weren't an issue we would be okay.
So we need the rain. Today they are forecasting more rain late this afternoon and evening and believe it will be over the burn scar area again.
We are moving soon and need to use that road to get to our new property but don't want to get stuck two hours from home or more with our dogs crated. Two of our 4 dogs are crated for their own health!!
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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posted
I know, faithful.. It has been dry here for MONTHS on end, then suddenly we began having rain about 2 wks ago.. No telling how much rain we've had all total.
More to come. This is AUGUST???? It usually never rains here in August.
Will it be safer once you move? (at least from the slides?)
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
We really need the rain and this would not be happening if there weren't fires that happened in close proximity to where the roads are. Waldo Canyon was a fire started by lightning last year. The one in Black Forest this year was determined to have been started by arson.
August is the month for rain here. They actually call it Monsoon season as it rains for a little while every afternoon. These downpours would not be causing flooding if the burn scars weren't there. Those areas have nothing growing there yet to stop the rain from going down the canyon with full force bringing mud and debris with it.
Once we move in a few weeks, we won't have to come up this way any more on a regular basis. Colorado Springs has lots of damage. Water just rushed through the city like a raging river.
The state may be able to modify things around the roads to slow down the water, but they can't stop the flooding if mother nature lets loose over the areas that have burned recently.
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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