Residents near Waldo Canyon on alert ahead of spring rains

Heavy rain on the Waldo Canyon burn scar swept away cars and destroyed homes over a year ago.

Colorado Springs Emergency Management officials say they’ve made progress in the past 18 months improving flood mitigation to prevent another disaster, but they don’t who live near flood zones to become complacent.

The county is improving alerts and communications efforts, to make sure homeowners are on alert as spring rains start to hit.

Those who lived through the Waldo Canyon floods likely still get nervous when they hear the sound of rain.

“Yeah, we do, we hold our breath,” said Rev. David Hiester, who moved to Colorado Springs one day before the Waldo Canyon Fire sparked.

He didn’t think his first two summers in the Springs would be spent providing relief.

“The world was on fire, The fire swept down the mountain behind me, spread into the neighborhood adjacent to us, about 30 homes were lost,” Hiester said.

From the fire to flooding, Waldo stays on his mind regularly. It’s tough to forget.

“We’re very hopeful what they’ve done is going to work again,” he said.

So is Colorado Springs Emergency Management.

“It’s greener, that’s good news in terms of lessening the flood risk,” said Brett Waters, with Colorado Springs Emergency Management.

Despite some re-growth, recovery of the burn scar will take at least a decade.

“There’s still a heightened flood risk, so even though there’s a greener area, it’s still a risk,” Waters said.

“There is much that is outside our control, what we can control we need to,” said Hiester said.

Click here for a link to the county’s emergency preparedness and safety guide.