Neighbors Cope With Aftermath of Wildfires, Floods
In advance of a community meeting Thursday in Colorado Springs, residents in two west side neighborhoods reflected on coping with impacts from the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire.
The fire destroyed 346 homes in the Mountain Shadows area, and flash floods through 2013 caused damage along Camp and Douglas creeks, through Garden of the Gods and the Pleasant Valley Community on 31st Street.
“I’ve never really felt threatened by the creek,” said Larry Bates, who has lived beside Camp Creek for 46 years. “We’ve had a few floods over the years. I’ve seen the water within a foot or two from the top but it always seems to handle it.”
Bruce Hamburger lives in Pleasant Valley and is less confident about the creek channel.
“If it can be widened, deepened and improved, it stands less of a chance of having a devastating flood,” he said.
Thursday night’s community meeting updated the public and first responders on flash flooding preparations and the recovery efforts on the Waldo Canyon burn scar.
Jourdan Zambrano and her family moved into a rebuilt Mountain Shadows home a year ago, and said neighbors are adjusting to living on a burn scar.
“There aren’t many trees,” she said. “You can’t have mulch. The homeowners’ association has stricter rules to minimize the fire danger. The paneling on our garage door looks like wood but is really concrete composite. But I think we’re all doing our part to prevent another fire.”
However, Matt Cooper, another Mountain Shadows resident, said he’s frustrated with flooding and erosion affecting his home from a vacant lot.
“I didn’t expect this when I moved in,” he said. “It happens every time it rains and no one can do anything about it — not the lot owner, the builder or my insurance. It seems that every home here has an issue, being on a burn scar. We all seem to be fighting something, but we have to come together and work through it.”
Last week, the city’s Office of Emergency Management held a flash flood preparedness workshop for city staff and partners who would respond to a flooding event.
The workshop reviewed last year’s damage and recovery from rainy weather, updated on the aftermath of the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire, discussed the flood outlook for this year and reviewed the city’s overall preparedness and response efforts.
At Thursday’s community meeting, the city talked about mitigation efforts and what has been done to prevent flooding. Experts also discussed disaster preparedness and response procedures.
“One would be a fool to not be concerned,” Hamburger said. “But I’m not afraid. If (a disaster) happens, I’ll deal with it.”
