 Sign in the Viestenz-Smith Park, demonstrating the maximum height of the flood | |
| Date | July 31, 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | Big Thompson River Canyon, Larimer County, Colorado |
| Deaths | 143 |
| Property damage | $35 million (1977 dollars) |
On July 31, 1976, during the celebration of Colorado's centennial, the Big Thompson Canyon was the site of a devastating flash flood that swept down the steep and narrow canyon, claiming the lives of 143 people, 5 of whom were never found. This flood was triggered by a nearly stationary thunderstorm near the upper section of the canyon that dumped 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain in less than 4 hours (more than 3/4 of the average annual rainfall for the area). Little rain fell over the lower section of the canyon, where many of the victims were.[citation needed]
The flood was the deadliest natural disaster in Colorado's history.[1]
Around 9 p.m., a wall of water more than 6 meters (20 ft) high raced down the canyon at about 6 m/s (14 mph), destroying 400 cars, 418 houses and 52 businesses and washing out most of U.S. Route 34.[2] This flood was more than 4 times as strong as any in the 112-year record available in 1976, with a discharge of 1,000 cubic meters per second (35,000 ft³/s).[citation needed]
The flood spurred many advancements in public warnings for flash flooding in the United States.[3]
In 2008, a man who was thought to have died in the flood was found to be alive and living in Oklahoma. Daryle Johnson and his family had rented a cabin east of Estes Park, but left without telling anyone on the morning of July 31. A woman who was researching the flood's victims discovered he was still alive.[4]
References
edit- ^ https://www.outtherecolorado.com/remembering-the-big-thompson-canyon-flood-colorados-deadliest-natural-disaster/
- ^ D. Hyndman and D. Hyndman, Natural Hazards and Disasters (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006), 270-271.
- ^ https://www.reporterherald.com/2016/07/31/lessons-learned-better-notifications-monitoring/
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120302065601/https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17063297/detail.html Flood 'Victim' Found Alive 32 Years Later], TheDenverChannel.com. 2008.
External links
edit- https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3095/pdf/FS06-3095_508.pdf
- https://web.archive.org/web/20170930135543/http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s688.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082805/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/Big%20Thompson%20Canyon%20Flash%20Flood%201976.pdf
- https://www.pbs.org/video/colorado-experience-big-thompson-flood/
- http://geology.isu.edu/wapi/EnvGeo/EG3_rivflood/Big_Thompson_Flood.pdf
- https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1095&context=fmhi_pub