Washing Out Loveland, Colorado

The Big Thompson Canyon Flood (1976)

My presentation was on the Big Thompson Canyon Flood which was Colorado's worst natural disaster. Only July, 31 1976, it began as a weak moist easterly flow that began on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. The moist air had risen up the mountain slopes and combined with the daytime heat to form thunderstorms which moved to Fort Range and began to rain heavily around 6 p.m. The winds in that region were not strong enough to push the storm out of the Big Thompson Valley and it remained stationary for more than three hours dumping more than a foot of rain into the canyon. The rain caused the river's water level to raise to nineteen feet high and speed down the 25 mile long river to Loveland,  Colorado where there were around 4,000 people in the Big Thompson Canyon during Colorado's centennial fishing, hiking, camping, etc. Along the way, the flood destroyed 316 homes, 45 mobile homes, 52 businesses, and 483 automobiles that were along the river bank and in the canyon. The flood also washed away most of Highway 34 which was along the river throughout most of the canyon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were contacted to remove destroyed automobiles as well as over 300,000 cubic yards of debris from the canyon with a total of $1.6 million in clean up costs. The flood left a total of about $35 million in damages and 143 people dead including five people who were unaccounted for. Most people were killed trying to drive out of the canyon ahead of the flood rather than climb to higher ground and many were unsuccessful causing them to be swept away to their deaths. A total of 840 people were evacuated from the area by helicopter with 250 people reporting injuries. The people in the canyon were not officially warned by deputies and patrolmen, and were only warned by word of mouth. Many people however, did not believe the warnings because the thunderstorm had not reached their area. In effect after the flood, Colorado instituted "Climb to Safety In Case of a Flood" signs along it's mountain roads and highways. Larimer county installed a reverse 911 emergency home system that broadcasts phone calls so that those in danger areas can be warned. The National Weather Service teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio for county - by - county coverage of any disasters. With these new advancements, Colorado can now be more prepared for any future natural disasters so that there may never be as many deaths or damages as there was with the Big Thompson Canyon Flood.