When water levels in Vallecito and Grimes creeks began rising early Oct. 11, emergency responders wasted no time in recognizing the significance of what more than five inches of rain in 24 hours meant to the neighborhoods perched along the creek banks.
There was no stopping the rising water, which rose to 7,200 cubic feet per second at its high point – well above the average range of less than 100 cfs for this time of year. There was also no stopping La Plata County’s coordinated response with a wide range of partner agencies all committed to protecting public safety – literally around the clock.
La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith and Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans were at the helm on the scene with their teams facilitating the evacuation of 390 homes as the waters rose, while the county’s Emergency Operations Center conducted the complex coordinating that emergency events require: CodeRED notifications (sign up at bit.ly/4nbv4dJif you haven’t already) were issued, an emergency shelter was established, Road and Bridge crews kept evacuation routes safe and clear, a call center opened, public information was developed and disseminated – all within minutes to hours of the first call.
And while the floodwaters receded Oct. 12, and planning began for immediate and longer-term damage assessment and recovery, we knew there was more to come, with more heavy rain forecast. We were responding in the moment while looking ahead to the next steps, including issuing a disaster declaration to unlock any additional resources we could.
This, and every emergency, is an all-hands experience with staff members from so many county departments and offices and people from local and state partner agencies all dropping everything to help the community. The Sheriff’s Office and Road and Bridge were the heroes on the ground – along with Upper Pine teams – helping with evacuations, ensuring homes were stabilized and conducting on-the-spot repairs to critical infrastructure including the bridge on County Road 501 over Vallecito Creek.
Back in Durango at the EOC, the Office of Emergency Management led the coordination charge, with employees from GIS Administration, Strategic Management, Human Services, Public Health, Community Development, the Assessor’s Office, Finance, the County Attorney’s Office, the Fairgrounds and IT all playing critical roles. Meanwhile, partner agencies poured in to support, including La Plata County Search & Rescue, Durango Fire Protection District, City of Durango, the Colorado Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the Red Cross, United Way’s 211 and Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster – to name a few.
All of these supporting agencies and functions are there for one common purpose: to help affected residents and communities understand the scope of the damage and assist with recovery. This ranges from ensuring public roads, bridges and other infrastructure are safe, to helping residents make sure their well water is safe to drink and their homes are safe to reenter, to providing volunteer resources to address damage in homes, to providing temporary housing, drinking water, access to food and mental health support. In every sense of the term, this team assembled to manage the far-reaching – and long-lasting – consequences that such a fast-acting event triggers.
The amount of coordination is staggering, both in the moment of response and afterward in the recovery phase. We are here to support the North Vallecito community with resources and coordination in the recovery phase.
Please visit lpcgov.org/vallecitoflood or call, text or visit 211colorado.org to see what options are available to you. And, if you’d like to donate to the response, please reach out to the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado to donate to the Community Emergency Relief Fund – swcommunityfoundation.org.
The North Vallecito flood is another heartening example that in every challenge – from floods to fires – La Plata County is there for you. Strength, service, and resilience define who we are, as an organization and as a community.
The La Plata County Board of County Commissioners is Marsha Porter-Norton, chair, Elizabeth Philbrick, vice chair, and Matt Salka, commissioner. Reach them at 382-6219.
