El Paso County has high number of disasters for Colorado

Numbers from FEMA show El Paso County has had the second most federally declared disasters since 1964.

Of the 15 declared disasters, the most, five, were because of floods.

In Manitou Springs, residents are used to living downstream from disaster.

“After awhile you just get used to it. It’s almost like normal,” said Terry Agro.

Agro has lived on Canon Avenue his entire life and witnessed three floods tear through his town.

“It’s not just water you’re dealing with, you’re dealing with rocks the size of trucks and actual trucks and houses and everything else,” Agro said.

But a major drainage project in Williams Canyon is just a few hundred feet from being finished to try and stop the next flood.

“We’re trying to create some peace of mind for the residents and businesses here in Manitou,” said construction manager Roger Miller.

The project which widened and deepened the channel coming out of Williams Canyon is expected to be finished in mid-April.

“This is designed for a 10-year flood. Anything beyond that could cause some property damage but this should really reduce the amount of damage that could occur from a major flood,” Miller said.

You can’t stop nature; you just have to find a way to live with it.