Colorado's devastating 2013 flood: A look back 10 years later

Pat Ferrier, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·4 min read
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Larimer County commissioners will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the deadly 2013 flood that killed nine people statewide, destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes and businesses, washed out major roads and bridges, and caused more than $4 billion in damages statewide.

The event, which commemorates the flood and celebrates the recovery and volunteer spirit of the community, will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Glen Haven Town Hall, 7408 Larimer County Road 43 in Glen Haven.

The first week of September 2013 was hot and dry until a light rain began falling Sept. 9. The rain developed into a hard, persistent rain along the Front Range and continued for 30 hours between Sept. 11-12. By the time it was over, 19 inches of rain had fallen, the town of Estes Park was isolated, Loveland was divided in two, 17 miles of U.S. Highway 34 were damaged or destroyed, and two women were dead in Larimer County.

Looking back on how the flood unfolded in Larimer County

A flash flood warning was issued for the High Park burn area the night of Sept. 11, 2013. By 10:30 p.m., most of Larimer County was under a flash flood warning. Colorado Highway 14 shut down due to debris flows, and rockslides in Poudre Canyon and along U.S. 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon were reported.

Here's a timeline developed by Larimer County's Office of Emergency Management of the events:

Sept. 12

  • 1 a.m.: Flooding begins to undercut U.S. 34 and the highway is closed west of Loveland. Damage to County Road 7, U.S. 36 and U.S. 34 cuts off Estes Park; only Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park remains open.

  • 6 a.m.: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sends out notifications that it will begin releasing water from Lake Estes, which is filling from runoff from rain in the town. Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputies begin emergency notifications and evacuations in the Big Thompson. Loveland issues a voluntary evacuation order to residents living in the 100-year flood plain from west Loveland to east of city limits.

  • 9:45 a.m. Loveland makes evacuations mandatory.

  • 2 p.m.: Flooding closes Colorado Highway 402 east of Loveland.

  • 10:35 p.m.: A railroad embankment west of Fairgrounds Park gives way, sending water surging through the park. Buckhorn Creek begins to wash away large sections of Buckhorn Road, isolating Buckhorn residents. Stove Prairie Road is impacted by the High Park burn scar runoff and sections of that road wash away.

  • 11 p.m.: Loveland is cut in half when Wilson Avenue, the last north-south route, closes.

  • Two-day rainfall totals are 3.68 inches in west Loveland and 7.64 inches in Estes Park. Comparisons are made to the Big Thompson flood of 1976, which washed out U.S. 34 in the canyon and killed 144 people. Although this flood ultimately kills fewer people, it is becoming clear that it was worse than the 1976 benchmark.

Sept. 13

  • 1 a.m.: Water tears through riverside homes in Cedar Cove and Drake, causing two deaths. The Poudre River leaves its banks near the Cache la Poudre schools in Laporte.

  • 5:45 a.m.: The Big Thompson River crosses Interstate 25 east of Loveland, and the Colorado Department of Transportation closes the highway between U.S. 34 and Colorado 402.

  • 6 a.m.: Residents are asked to stay off all roads except for essential travel. Major public employers like Colorado State University, school districts, and city and county offices close for the day.

  • 9:30 a.m.: I-25 closes from Denver to Wyoming; U.S. 85 from Denver to Greeley remains open.

Sept. 14

  • 7 a.m.: Search and rescue teams are dropped by helicopter in flooded areas to look for survivors.

  • 8 a.m.: The Poudre River crests.

  • 9:35 a.m.: The sheriff's office reports Patty Goodwine, 60, is presumed to have drowned in the Big Thompson early on Sept. 13 when the river and nearby Cedar Creek flooded, destroying her home and those of her neighbors.

  • 3:55 p.m.: Larimer County Sheriff's Office reports 475 people had been evacuated.

  • President Barack Obama declares a major disaster for Larimer, Boulder and El Paso counties, releasing federal funds to help with recovery.

Sept. 15

  • 7:45 a.m.: 482 people remain unaccounted for in Larimer County. A second resident, later identified as Evelyn Starner, 79, is missing and presumed dead.

Sept. 16

  • 11:45 a.m.: 1,000 people still need to be evacuated.

Sept. 17

  • Schools reopen; power is restored to Estes Park.

Sept. 18

  • 114 people are rescued from Storm Mountain, Glen Haven, the Retreat, Fish Creek, Idlewild, Waltonia and Pinewood Springs. Colorado Highway 7 reopens, providing access to the south.

Sept. 21

  • Evelyn Starner's body is found on the banks of the Big Thompson River near Sylvan Dale Ranch.

Oct. 7

  • The last person to remain unaccounted for, Goodwine, is found and her body recovered from the Big Thompson River.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado's devastating 2013 flood: Larimer County looks back