Manitou Springs residents already dealing with elevated flood warnings after Monday storm

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City of Manitou Springs is on an elevated alert for "Higher Ground" as storms are expected to spark flash floods in the area.

During a storm on Monday, July 31, Fountain Creek surged over 10 feet due to the large amounts of rainfall in just a few hours.

Manitou Springs Fire Department says that they have apparatus and other equipment available to help residents should flooding get out of hand, but they say that just following their emergency protocols will keep residents safe in the event that water levels rise too high.

“So we essentially have six to seven days of this. So we're kind of brainstorming and how we can most effectively manage what we're about to deal with,” said Drew Maurer, with the Manitou Springs Fire Department.

He explains that even if you don't catch the city's alarm system, which delivers warning messages on repeat, you should also just use your best judgment if you feel uncomfortable.

"If your spider senses are going off that you're in an unsafe area.  Your body is probably telling you right now you should probably get out of there. So always go to higher ground when it comes to floods."

Emily Sawyer and her husband have lived on Beckers Lane in Manitou Springs for almost 25 years They said that Monday's storm almost topped the list for the most water they've seen around their property.

She explains that their neighborhood has to worry about Fountain Creek overflowing, but also the culverts at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post just up the street.

“So we've got water hitting our property from up the hill, upstream, down Beckers -- and it's pretty scary because it seems that these weather patterns are getting more intense,” said Sawyer.

Their front sidewalk turned into a small creek of its own on Monday night, and the road that leads down to a drainage creek near their garage was raging with several feet of water.

The Sawyers said that on Tuesday afternoon, city crews came by and assessed the visible damage and leftover debris, and told them they'd add their street to their list of improvements needed to be made.

Storms are expected throughout the week through Friday, August 5, so stay with KRDO on our Storm Tracker 13 app, and with KRDO News on air to stay up to date about any weather alerts.