PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING
Steve Priest of Lake City throws a full sandbag and reaches for the next as his community is “preparing for the worse and hoping for the best” on Monday. Vulnerable communities around Colorado, including Lake City, are preparing for potential flooding caused by runoff from an above-average snowpack. Lake City officials are hosting a community meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Armory Hall to discuss flooding preparedness.
Officials in southwestern Colorado are warning tourists and residents to take precautions as the melting of this winter’s record snowpack is leading to flood risks.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for portions of central and south central Colorado, including the central and southern San Luis Valley, the upper Rio Grande Valley, the La Garita Mountains and the Eastern San Juan Mountains. The watch continues through Wednesday morning.
The warm temperatures are rapidly melting snow, causing high flows in Colorado rivers, especially in the San Luis and Rio Grande valleys.
In Rio Grande County and Mineral County, the Rio Grande River is closed for all vessels and watersport activity.
People that want to fish or to watch the river are encouraged to stay away from the banks’ edge because the high water levels can lead to instability.
A number of campground and recreation sites are also closed. Rio Grande Campground and Park Creek Campground and Park Creek Road are closed, and Fun Valley Family Resort and the lower campground at the Woods and River RV Park and Campground in Del Norte are under a voluntary evacuation.
In Jasper, Forest Service Road 250 is closed due to a washout.
Emily Brown, a spokesperson for Rio Grande County, said that water levels have decreased since Sunday, but “we don’t know if we have reached peak high water for the season yet.”
The county is still monitoring the water levels to see when they will reopen to the public.
For flooding and debris issues, residents can call 7192573585 in Rio Grande County and 7198500514 in Mineral County. People can sign up to receive emergency alerts at slve911.org.
In Eagle County, emergency officials were scheduled to hold a meeting Monday night to discuss flood concerns around the Lake Christine fire burn scar area. Due to damage from the fire, the land is vulnerable to flash flooding and debris flows.
A community also will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Lake City, a town in Hinsdale County, which is under threat of flooding.
Residents there on Monday began putting up sandbags around their homes.