Fountain Creek Levee Break Costly And Potentially Dangerous
By Stephanie Wurtzs.wurtz@krdotv.com
PUEBLO – The clean up has begun for Pueblo residents flooded by Monday’s levee break and homeowners are getting an idea of exactly how costly the incident really was. Residents would’ve needed to purchase flood insurance at least a month ago to have had coverage for Monday’s incident, because there’s a 30-day waiting period from the time you buy a flood insurance policy to the date it’s effective. Unfortunately, flood insurance is not part of a basic homeowners or renters insurance policy. While it can be processed through local insurance agents, all flood insurance is issued through the National Flood Insurance Program. The flooded area is designated as being within the 100 year flood plane, which means if a resident had a mortgage on his or her home, the mortgage company would’ve required flood insurance, because of the location. However, if a property was owned outright or rented, that coverage would be optional.
NEWSCHANNEL 13 talked with several people in the area about insurance. The owner of one of the hardest hit homes did have insurance, another resident further to the west saw significant damage but didn’t have insurance and a business owner in the area says he had to option to buy the flood insurance about six years ago, but didn’t because he says he didn’t think it was worth it. According to one Pueblo insurance agent, a flood policy on an average priced home is $500-$600 a year. “If your mortgage is $150,000, you need to buy $150,000 in coverage,” says American Family Insurance Agent John Zanotelli, “that covers the structure itself and then you can add property coverage onto that policy also.”
As residents finally get inside and take a look at the damage, there are some precautions they need to take because of the bacteria levels in the water. According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department, a safe e-coli count would be less than 123 bacteria cells per 100mL of water. The samples tested from the floodwaters Monday show more than 1000 bacteria cells and the department says it’s unsafe. The health department is encouraging residents to return to their homes and get started drying things out. Crews worked much of Tuesday to restore electricity to the homes, and a representative from the health department recommends residents start using fans to air out moisture. Because of the high e-coli levels, it’s important to wear gloves and boots while cleaning up and to wash frequently.
The health department says cloth items, like carpet or furniture should probably be thrown out. Representatives from both the housing authority and health department have left notices on the homes, telling residents how to stay safe, once they do get back to their houses. “You’re likely to see mold growth and that’s one of the big concerns we have with the health department,” says Scott Cowan with the Pueblo City-County Health Department, “after people get the water out of their homes, if they don’t dry them properly, do things like removing furniture or old boxes that may be wet, you’re going to have mold growth and that’s going to cause other health problems.” If you have come in contact with the contaminated water, symptoms like stomach problems and nausea are things to look for or a cut may become infected if it came into contact with the bacteria. If you have any symptoms, you should contact a doctor.
