The Friday-Saturday-Monday-Tuesday days of rain, which exceeded five inches and increased storage in Lemon and Vallecito reservoirs considerably, were an extreme event not seen since the mid-1980s. Cubic feet per second highs flowed down the mountains north, northeast, and east of Durango, raising Vallecito Creek, the Animas, and San Juan rivers to between 5,000 and 8,200.
In La Plata County, several houses along Vallecito Creek were lost, numerous properties were washed out as the creek channel’s route changed, and almost 400 residences were evacuated on short notice. With loosened roadbed and a section of track partially underwater, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s operations were interrupted for a week.
Tropical storms Priscilla and then the smaller Raymond were the culprits.
While home replacement, reconstruction, and repair will be needed, and gravel roads and bridge abutments reshaped, the only personal injury we’ve heard of is a twisted knee.
What shines is the extraordinary collaboration and coordination among local first responders, county crews, and volunteers, including numerous county departments and staff, La Plata County Search and Rescue, the Upper Pine Fire Protection District, the Red Cross, and the formidable skills of all the Emergency Operations Center staff.
Making sandbag material available, going house to house, staffing intersections and shelters, creating laptop mapping, clearing bridges and culverts, and providing lunches and space at the humane society were quickly established and carried out. For many, there were a couple of days into the night, and a lot of overtime.
Such performance is a tribute to the selflessness of so many, who are comfortable putting in the necessary effort – and then some – to lessen and address the impacts of a significant environmental force on their neighbors. Thanks to all, La Plata County is a wonderful place to live.
