Teller County extends emergency declaration

TELLER CO., Colo. (KRDO) - According to county officials, Teller County has extended its emergency declaration the following week, after large amounts of snow dumped on the county last week, effectively locking numerous residents in their homes without power for days.

After issuing a state of emergency last week, allowing state resources to be directed toward the county, County Commissioner Dan Williams says they're extending the declaration into the following week for a couple of reasons: the mud created by the snow melting and the expected snowstorm next weekend.

"So as this [snow] melts, there's only about two or three inches, it's not permafrost, but you can think about it as permafrost. The ground is not ready to accept [the water], and so you have saturation. It is a lot like quicksand, which makes everything harder. It makes it hard for vehicles to recover people and just drive. Then about 6:00 tonight, if you were standing here, this would turn into an ice rink," Williams said.

The mud gets worse as the day warms up, meaning that those with steep driveways face two giants when trying to clear the remaining snow: mushy ground and slushy, wet snow.

One woman was freed after over a week today, neighboring William's property.

"There's just been blizzard after blizzard," Linda Halter said. "It was, like, nonstop."

Halter lives on a particularly steep and narrow driveway that requires a separate vehicle to navigate. She got snowed in, with two weeks of both food and medication. Right as the storm was beginning, Williams checked in on her through phone calls, working with the county resources to make sure she was safe. She says her husband died last year, and she's now figuring out how to live in the rural area by herself.

"I'm lucky to have great neighbors around here in our area.  I'm a very lucky woman," Halter said.

Still, many people in rural Teller County live without neighbors within a mile, so checking on each other can be tough. Williams mentioned that he had snowshoeing into their neighbor's property to make sure they had power, water, and food supplies before the next storm hit.

Williams also said that the Sheriff's office had received around five thousand calls over the last three days related to snowstorm needs, also contributing to his decision to continue the emergency status in the County. He warned people to go out and get food, wood, gas, and/or medication now while the main roads are clear before next weekend's storm hits.

Anyone with continuing needs should call the Teller County Sheriff's non-emergency line at ext. 1, if they have needs related to the storm.