Time Machine Tuesday: Anniversary of the 2013 Floods

Five years ago today, the rain began to fall in what became one of the state’s most significant flood disasters, impacting twenty-four counties and causing millions of dollars in damage. The Colorado communities affected by the September 2013 floods showed amazing resilience and are thriving once again.

Here are some State of Colorado resources that tell the story of the 2013 floods and subsequent recovery efforts:

• 2013 Colorado Flood Recovery: Three Years of Progress, published by the Colorado Resiliency Office. See also the office’s planning document, the Colorado Resiliency Framework.
• After Action Report, State of Colorado 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire, from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.
• Economic Overview: Boulder, Larimer, and Weld Counties, published by the State Demography Office just one month after the floods.
• Lessons Learned in the Front Range Flood of September 2013, from the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission.
• The Colorado Department of Transportation’s website of flood-related projects.
• The University of Colorado and Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Change Vulnerability Study, prepared for the Colorado Energy Office. This publication looks at climate change in general but uses many examples from the September 2013 floods.
• Two publications examining dam failures during the September 2013 floods: Havana Street Dam Failure, 12 September 2013 and Report of September 2013 Little Thompson River Flooding and Big Elk Meadows Dam Failures. Both were published by the Division of Water Resources’ Dam Safety Branch.
• September 2013 Flood Water Quality Sampling Summary from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
• Summary of 2014 Flood and Disaster Bills from the Colorado Legislature.
• Governor Hickenlooper’s disaster emergency Executive Orders.