Local Flooding

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Mike

Many of you will remember the terrible floods in Colorado that occurred mid September. A few days ago I had an opportunity to visit one of the mobile home parks that was close to a river, and like many others, completely destroyed.

Initial estimates said there was at least $230 million in damages to property and infrastructure. This does not begin to measure the emotional cost when families who can least afford it lose their home and all belongings.

Note the various water lines in the above photo. My guess is the entire home was submerged and like many others was lifted off its foundation and moved. Can people living in a mobile home park afford flood insurance? Were they required to have it, living so close to a river? Will they ever be whole again, with a home of their own?

Everywhere I looked there were scattered ruins. Toys, clothes, appliances, barbecues, old photo albums, tools, and everything else a family collects and depends on.

The above photo illustrates what’s left in someone’s bedroom after the water has dried. The water that rushed into these homes was a toxic mix of oil, waste water, and other contaminants. Initial estimates were that 2,900 homes were impacted by this flood in just Weld county. Other adjacent counties were also devastated, and people died.

While the human spirit endures, there is a randomness to the universe that is real and perilous. Nature always seems to have its way, and we are often in the way.

54 thoughts on “Local Flooding”

RobynG on October 28, 2013 at 8:01 am said:

Heart breaking Mike. So sad that communities have to go through such hardship. Your images capture the destruction in an eloquent journalistic style. Robyn

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 8:02 am said:
  
  It is very sad indeed. Thank you for your generous comment, Robyn.
  
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Teepee12 on October 28, 2013 at 8:05 am said:

Sad. Where did they go? Did anyone track them to see what happened to them?

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 8:12 am said:
  
  I’m sure the county is doing some tracking as well as relief agencies that are involved. They went to shelters, and family members and I hear there is temporary housing that is being put in place.
  
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  - Teepee12 on October 28, 2013 at 8:18 am said:
    
    Sounds like the “better than nothing” scenario.
    
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  - Mike on October 28, 2013 at 8:19 am said:
    
    People seem to be at their best when others are impacted in this way.
    
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claude on October 28, 2013 at 8:14 am said:

Great shots Mike! You are correct, we are often in the way because we don’t pay attention to mother nature’s history.

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 8:18 am said:
  
  I would never live close to a beach for that very reason. Well, that and I couldn’t afford it 😉
  
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  - Teepee12 on October 28, 2013 at 8:20 am said:
    
    We have people around here that live on the shore and get washed away regularly. Every time there’s a big storm, they’re washed away. That they are dumb enough to keep rebuilding is one issue. But the insurance companies keep paying. That totally baffles me. Garry used to cover these stories and it left him with his jaw open saying “but ….”
    
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  - Mike on October 28, 2013 at 8:23 am said:
    
    With the oceans rising it is only a matter of time before entire cities are swamped regularly. This would include New york/Manhattan.
    
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Chillbrook on October 28, 2013 at 8:56 am said:

A very sobering post Mike. We can take nothing for granted. Nothing.. 😦

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 9:17 am said:
  
  That has long been my sense, Adrian.
  
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avian101 on October 28, 2013 at 9:09 am said:

It’s sad! You documented it clearly Mike! 🙂

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 9:18 am said:
  
  Thank you very much.
  
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suej on October 28, 2013 at 9:10 am said:

It is indeed a sobering post…..

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 9:23 am said:
  
  And the trailer park was sobering as well.
  
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Littlesundog on October 28, 2013 at 10:04 am said:

Great shots, though sobering. I love your realism… and compassion, Mike.

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 10:52 am said:
  
  Two traits I cannot dispute. And you have, amongst many other things, that face!
  
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Cee Neuner on October 28, 2013 at 10:50 am said:

WOW!! You guys really got hit!

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 10:57 am said:
  
  Anyone living close to a river got hit. I got lucky, living on the west side of town, away from any rivers.
  
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David on October 28, 2013 at 12:20 pm said:

The B&W really captured the sense of loss. I could be wrong, but I don’t think mobile homes qualify for flood insurance considering how many parks are located along a waterway or spillway.

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 12:34 pm said:
  
  And you could be exactly right, as that makes perfect sense. Kind of a double bind to live in a mobile home, that being the case.
  Thanks.
  
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natuurfreak on October 28, 2013 at 2:46 pm said:

So sad.for the people who lives there.Hope the gouvernement helps them to find another place to live.I never will live so long by a river.

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 2:48 pm said:
  
  No river living for me either.
  
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kiwiskan on October 28, 2013 at 3:13 pm said:

pretty sad…

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 3:13 pm said:
  
  For sure.
  
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readingwithrhythm on October 28, 2013 at 4:21 pm said:

Sad and scary. But a nice documentation on your part. Plenty of emotion in those pictures.

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 4:23 pm said:
  
  Like being at Chernobyl, I might imagine.
  
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apronheadlilly on October 28, 2013 at 5:29 pm said:

😦

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- Mike on October 28, 2013 at 5:30 pm said:
  
  😦
  
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Pat on October 29, 2013 at 9:49 am said:

Heart-breaking images but wonderful documentation of the severity of the damage.

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- Mike on October 29, 2013 at 9:50 am said:
  
  Thanks, I appreciate that.
  
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Inga on October 29, 2013 at 4:04 pm said:

So sad and tragic. Thanks for sharing these.

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- Mike on October 29, 2013 at 5:50 pm said:
  
  And thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Inga.
  
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t smith knowles on October 29, 2013 at 6:56 pm said:

hard to ‘like’ this post…wanted you to know its impact…thank you for taking the time to let the rest of us know…

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- Mike on October 29, 2013 at 6:57 pm said:
  
  Thank you for this.
  
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twoblackdoggies on November 1, 2013 at 11:36 pm said:

A very moving series of images, so easy to forget the devastation that mother nature can wreak and how long the recovery can take. I hope the people are safe and being well cared for after losing their homes.

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- Mike on November 2, 2013 at 8:42 am said:
  
  I hope so too, but I suspect there is a degree of trauma that will sting for some time.
  Nice photo of you, by the way.
  
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Lemony (Gr)Egghead on November 2, 2013 at 12:19 pm said:

Such devastation and sadness. Your photographs are so moving.

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- Mike on November 2, 2013 at 1:18 pm said:
  
  Thanks. Awful scene that shows just a tiny amount of the actual destruction.
  
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usermattw on November 5, 2013 at 6:16 pm said:

Very moving photos.

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- Mike on November 5, 2013 at 6:35 pm said:
  
  Thank you Matt.
  
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George Weaver on November 7, 2013 at 10:33 pm said:

Beautifully photographed and memorialized, Mike.

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- Mike on November 7, 2013 at 10:35 pm said:
  
  I was surprised we were able to just drive in. Big tragedy.
  Thanks.
  
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John on November 13, 2013 at 4:52 am said:

Excellent coverage of a very sobering situation.

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- Mike on November 13, 2013 at 8:48 am said:
  
  Well thanks John.
  
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hutchphotography2020 on November 23, 2013 at 10:22 am said:

Extremely well documented. Very effective in black and white. I cannot imagine how devastated the people feel.

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- Mike on November 23, 2013 at 10:28 am said:
  
  I can’t imagine either. Thanks Hutch. Your work continues to be one of my favorites, and I often think we see things thru the same eyes.
  
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Boomdeeadda on December 1, 2013 at 11:14 am said:

my gosh, heartbreaking. Whole communities wiped out. It seems to have affected those least likely able to afford to rebuild.

There is no such thing as flood insurance here. The gov’t stepped in this summer to aid home owners in Alberta floods but are changing laws for the future. Now, anyone who buys a home in a designated flood zone will be signing some document that relieves the gov’t of any costs occurred in future flooding. It’s buyer beware and sad because (here anyways) the nicest neighbourhoods are near the river

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- Mike on December 1, 2013 at 1:27 pm said:
  
  Yes, in this case people with lower income took the big hit. There were also many farms and ranches that were wiped out, east of these homes. It is a shame that more help is not available.
  Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, it is much appreciated.
  
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tedstrutz on May 11, 2014 at 6:24 pm said:

The message in the last photo was heartbreaking. Nice photos of a sad thing. Amazing the force of ‘mother nature’, as they say… nothing you can do about her but clean up. The devastation from the Oso mud slide near me was pretty amazing… and heartbreaking.

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- Mike on May 11, 2014 at 6:31 pm said:
  
  I have had 3 new roofs in the span of 4 years. The first one lasted 30 days. Every time it rains hard my blood pressure goes up. But Marco Rubio announced he does not believe in climate change and is running for president. Clown. Tell it to the folks now homeless, both here and there.
  
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Blog Woman!!! on October 11, 2014 at 1:20 am said:

These pictures are surreal in how beautifully presented they are, but with such tragic reality behind them. I really appreciate the compassion that comes through your words too. Quite a compelling achievement here, Mike.

I’m glad to have had the chance to come back ducking through the archives.

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- Mike on October 11, 2014 at 8:44 am said:
  
  Very nice Robyn, and thank you very much. The homes are still sitting there, fenced off and rotting while the city, state, feds, and insurance companies duke it out.
  
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