AURORA | New bands of heavy rain have got Aurora residents running for cover again. This time, south and central Aurora are being hammered with heavy rain and a flash flood warning in again in effect Saturday afternoon.
City officials said East Tollgate Creek at Buckley Road and inside, Horseshoe Park, as well as the Iliff Pond, are all breaking river and pond banks due to heavy rain and runoff. Many areas reported heavy hail and and rain, clogging storm drains and flooding numerous streets.
There are extensive power outages in the city, including much of the Tollgate area near Abilene and Jewell. Also there are power outages at Chambers and Jewell and Mexico and Dartmouth. City officials are reporting that Xcel Energy is saying it could be tomorrow before power is restored.
It’s a sign of the times when forecasts of rain are bad news in Aurora. Bad news, Aurora.
The National Weather Service is predicting a marginal chance of showers for tonight. But the likelihood of serious showers and possibly extended rain is high tomorrow for the city.
A flood watch has been extended until Sunday night.
KUSA Channel 9 weather forecasters said another surge of cool air Saturday night into Sunday morning will kick off several areas of rain and thundershowers over the Front Range foothills and adjacent plains. A cold front dropping into the Dakotas Sunday morning will create an upslope surge of cooler air that will create more widespread rain than on Saturday. Early computer model forecasts indicate from 1 to 3 inches of new rain in areas that have already seen record rainfall this week. The rain will slowly decrease Sunday afternoon and evening as this storm system finally moves into the Midwest.
AS OF SATURDAY AT 10 p.m.
— Many local Aurora creeks and canals are reportedly jumping the banks and causing flooding, including Tollgate Creek, Sand Creek and much of the spillway from Cherry Creek Reservoir. Weather officials said almost 3 inches of rain fell in one hour. Many parks with ponds are extensively flooded.
— City hall and the surrounding area was hit hard again. Alameda was under water and many city hall parking lots had more than a foot of water in them as rains came down Saturday afternoon.
— Roads closed at 10 p.m. include:
Southbound I-225 from eastbound I-70
Eastbound I-70 from northbound I-225
Alameda/Sable eastbound
Alameda/Chambers westbound and northbound
Florida/Abilene southbound
Expo/Abilene northbound and southbound
Jewell/Abilene northbound
Potomac/6th northbound
Hoffman/Potomac westbound
14th/Potomac southbound
Alameda/Havana All directions
6th/Havana
This after the city was just beginning to dry out and return to normal. Most roads had reopened.
Police are asking drivers to stay home if they can, but announced late Friday they had reopened all of Havana Street and the on ramp to southbound Interstate 225 from eastbound Interstate 70.
That leaves South Peoria Street and East Mexico Avenue as the only intersection that remains completely closed.
Fire officials sent out a picture of Peoria Street near Mexico that showed the road and the adjacent sidewalk torn apart by water. It wasn’t clear when that stretch of road might reopen.
There are a few other partial closures still in place. The eastbound lanes of Alameda are closed from Ironton Street to Havana, and northbound I-225 has reduced lanes near I-70.
A sunny morning is helping to dry out some streets where huge puddles swallowed cars at the height of flooding Thursday afternoon.
As residents worked to bail out basements and other rooms, they may be in store for more bad news. The standard homeowners’ insurance package isn’t likely to cover the kind of damage that resulted from yesterday’s heavy rains and floods, according to area insurance officials.
Homeowners bailing out flooded basements may have to look to the federal government for assistance when it comes to paying for repairs. According to Bryan Dean, an Aurora agent with American Family Insurance, coverage for flood damage is only available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other government groups.
“Once the water hits the ground and enters the home, there’s no coverage from any insurance company,” Dean said, adding that the standard homeowners’ insurance covers hail damage, lighting strikes and other natural disasters. “We’re not able to help people at this point. You end up getting those famous five words: ‘Why do I have insurance?’”
Even so, Dean said it’s not a waste of time to get a rejection letter from an insurance company for flood damage. That document can come in handy when requesting additional living expenses and other coverage from agencies like FEMA.
On Thursday, President Obama officially declared Colorado a federal disaster area, opening up the possibility of government funds and personnel to assist with rebuilding and cleanup.
Local officials said they’re unsure yet if and how federal assistance might work. They’re interested, too, in who will pay for havoc from the flood. Some streets in Aurora have been severely undermined as officials wait until the water clears to assess the damage in the wake of one of the worst floods the city has ever seen.
Peoria Street from East Mexico Avenue to East Florida Avenue is a serious problem area because of the overflow from Utah Park, said Chris Carnahan, manager of the city’s public works operations. “(The rain) inundated the area, eroded the roadway, streetlights are falling over because the soil is gone around them,” he said. “That will have to be closed for a good long while.”
As of noontime on Sept. 13, officials were hauling debris from the area and trying to see how much of the road is salvageable. Another severely damaged area is East Alameda Avenue from South Havana Street to South Moline Street. All eastbound lanes of the avenue are flooded because of the overflow from Expo Park.
East Mexico Avenue between South Chambers Road and South Buckley Road is also washed out.
Public works staff are hoping to assess the damage early next week, Carnahan said.
“There will be significant costs to repairing the damage, but we don’t know the magnitude yet,” Carnahan said. “But it’ll be a significant number.”
Streets overseen by the Colorado Department of Transportation are also facing damage from the storm. The major problem area is South Parker Road between East Jewell Avenue and East Florida Avenue, said Mindy Crane, CDOT spokeswoman. Construction crews were working on that section of South Parker Road when the storm hit, so there are new potholes that have to be repaired before the roadway opens.
Another washout occurred at the Quebec Street on-ramp to I-70.
State highways seem to be faring well.
“There’s been a lot of standing water, a lot of potholes in various areas but in terms of state highways we’re not seeing any washouts or anything like that,” she said.
The Regional Transportation District didn’t see many issues Thursday or Friday. Buses continued on regular routes and detoured when necessary.
Several city open spaces, parks and recreation centers continued to be closed Friday, including multiple trails. City officials said residents should use caution when walking on trails near creeks and streets, including Highline Canal Trail, Westerly Creek and Tollgate Trail. Utah Pool is open but only accessible from Jewell Avenue.
Some city officials said the rainstorm was the worst they’ve ever experienced. Margee Cannon, the city’s neighborhood liaison coordinator, said she got nervous driving to work in the rain Thursday.
“Whenever I went over a bridge, the water was just torrential, it was amazing,” she said.
Before Havana and Alameda reopened Friday afternoon, several businesses in the area were closed and without power.
At Fat Boy’s Sports Bar and Grill, owner Janet Walker said her bar had been closed from midday Thursday until about 2 p.m. Friday.
Before the power came back on and the roads reopened, Walker said she planned to open the bar as soon as there was power.
“I think people have cabin fever, they want to get out,” she said.
An hour after the bar reopened, Walker was proven correct. The bar was full and the regulars were there.
“People needed to get some food,” she said.
At the height of the flooding, water didn’t go past the midway point of the bar’s parking lot, sparing the interior of any damage.
“I guess I’m blessed when it comes to that,” she said.
Ricci Ballif, a manager and bartender at Fat Boy’s, said the flooding was worse at her home a few blocks to the north. Like the rest of her neighbors, Ballif said the basement at her home had about a foot of water in it, wrecking couches, beds and everything else.
“Most of my stuff is destroyed,” she said.
At the Red Lobster, a short distance to the east on Alameda, damage from the flooding was clear. A high-water mark was visible about two feet up the side of the building, and landscaping in front had been battered by the rushing water.
Mark Beem, director of operations for red Lobster, said very little water actually made it into the restaurant. Beem said city workers are doing a good job cleaning up the area, especially considering how bad things looked a day before.
At Expo Park, the water was still several feet deep, making the fields look like a sprawling lake Friday morning.
Kids played in the water while other onlookers stared at the damage in awe.
Larry Shatswell, 59, has lived in the area since 1976 and said there has been flooding before, but never anything close to this.
Shatswell said he is in the process of retiring and moving to Oregon and already sent some of his stuff there — including a kayak.
“I could use the kayak right now,” he said as he walked his blue Schwinn bicycle along the eastern edge of the flooded park.
All Cherry Creek Schools and Aurora Public Schools are closed today, and all evening sports programs and other events are cancelled, according to school officials. All Community College of Aurora classes and events at both Lowry and Centre Tech campuses are cancelled today.
• All city of Aurora preschool classes have been cancelled.
• Meadowood Recreation Center classes are cancelled.
• All city of Aurora sports activities are cancelled Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• City of Aurora fields, including the Aurora Sports Park and the fields at Dove Valley Regional Park, are closed. Fitzsimons, Aurora Hills, Springhill and Centre Hills golf courses are closed, but Saddle Rock, Murphy Creek and Meadow Hills golf courses are open (no golf carts; walking only).
• The gymnasium at Beck Recreation Center is closed, but the rest of the center and pool are open.
Officials said water in some low-lying areas there is as deep as 12 feet.
Police are asking motorists to stay off the road if they can, said Aurora police spokesman Officer Frank Fania.
“The less traffic we have the better,” he said.
At the hardest hit places like East Mexico Avenue and South Peoria Street, Fania said police are asking motorists to avoid the entire neighborhood, not just the closed intersection. Drivers trying to get around the closures are running into further problems along side streets, he said.
Despite the serious flooding Fania said police have not had any reports of serious injuries.
“Just lots of inconvenience and property damage,” he said.
At John’s Towing near Chambers Road and I-70, vice president Adrienne Pietrafeso said crews have been busy yanking stranded vehicles from standing water.
The company has been in the towing business in Aurora since 1965 and Pietrafeso said that other than the year the company was founded, nobody remembers seeing any flooding like this.
“We’ve never seen this kind of water,” she said.
Area creeks and canals are still at or over capacity, but city officials said there appears to be no widespread flooding caused from creeks jumping the banks. A Denver water department reservoir and dam near Colfax and Yosemite worried many officials, prompting warnings, but so far has not been breached. Denver officials evacuated some residents from that area last night as a precaution.
Weather reports are still threatening, especially with ground being so saturated and with numerous areas of already standing water, but forecasts call for a much more manageable day. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Aurora until later this morning, and a flood watch for Aurora until noon.
Forecasters say to look for scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Chance of precipitation in Aurora today is 60 percent. Showers are expected in the area for the next two days.
City crews spent the night clearing debris from storm drains and checking for undermined streets and sidewalks.
According to city water officials, the flood is more severe than a 100-year flood, which is a flood that has only 1 percent chance of occurring. Utah Park and Expo Park were designed to hold water that could accumulate during a 100 year flood, and both are currently overflowing.
The Red Cross and Salvation Army activated a handful of shelters in the area, but it’s unknown at this time how many Aurora residents sought help at the shelters. A temporary evacuation shelter was set up by The Salvation Army at 802 Quari Ct. and Aurora staff are searching for evacuation shelter space along the Colfax corridor.
City officials say a Red Cross Shelter is open at the Soar Charter School, 4800 Telluride St Bldg. 4, located near Pena Blvd and Green Valley Blvd.
Two of the hardest hit neighborhoods were northwest Aurora near the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the densely populated central Aurora neighborhoods near South Peoria Street and East Iliff Avenue.
Witnesses said the Del Mar Park neighborhood was like a “white-water river” in parts.
Near Iliff and Peoria, the water Thursday overwhelmed Utah Park, which was redeveloped a few years ago to better accommodate typical storm runoff. This week’s storms have been far from typical and the park’s retention pond and streams have swelled beyond their banks.
The high waters briefly trapped a police officer in his car Thursday near Peoria and East Mexico Avenue, passers by helped push the police cruiser to a dry spot.
Extensive basement and first floor flooding in area homes and apartments was reported, but exact numbers on how many homes and which neighborhoods is not yet available.
The steady rain wreaked all kinds of havoc on area homes and businesses. Police reported numerous ceiling collapses and water rushing through windows.
Flooding was widespread and streets all over the city were overwhelmed by the persistent, heavy rain.
“It’s bad,” said Councilwoman Molly Markert. “Nobody’s seen it this bad.”
At one point Thursday, Cherry Creek schools officials evacuated all children and staff from Village East Elementary School. Students were sent by bus to a school in Greenwood Village.
About that time, police pleaded with the public to get off the roads because they were unable to keep up with trying to close flooded streets and parking lots. The Aurora Fire Department and city crews were out trying to help create barricades and rescue stranded drivers. Numerous cars were submerged and some still remain underwater.
National Weather Service officials say Aurora received around 7-8 inches of rainfall by Thursday afternoon.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan said Thursday the area could continue to struggle with more rainfall. He said city waterways like Sand Creek, Tollgate Creek and Murphy Creek are particularly worrisome.
“With as much water is coming down, they just can’t handle it. So we have to be ready with all kinds of options,” he said.
Nice to finally see a firefighter NOT wearing his bunkers. Would like to see him in his shorts and without his structure helmut. RIP: Bob Crump