Rescue operations conducted by emergency responders on the night of the flood were exceptional.   Several dozen rescues were performed early in the evening throughout southwestern Fort Collins by firefighters, police, county dive-rescue, and civilians.   Many more took place in the homes and businesses along South College Avenue.   Nevertheless, the sad fact remains that five lives were lost.

              There were three primary reasons for the loss of life:

              1)   The rainfall was far beyond any reasonable expectations -
                    delivering a little over the statistically expected 500-year,
                    24-hour total in a little over 5-hours.   Even though the city
                    had mitigated well above state and federal guidelines, the
                    heavy rain on 28 July far exceeded its planning.   Actual
                    flow rates more than doubled the "500-year" event in
                    many locations.

              2)   Significant flooding covered such a broad area that it stressed
                    the available resources.   For example, two full shifts of fire-
                    fighters and police were at work in other parts of the city when
                    the College Avenue disaster began to unfold.   Even sheriff
                    deputies were tied up working a landslide on County Road
                    42C which travels up to Horsetooth Reservoir behind Hughes
                    Stadium.   There were simply not enough people to deal with
                    the size of the event.

              3)   As the College Avenue component of the disaster was beginning,
                    another shift of fire and police were already on their way to the
                    area.   However, the event happened so suddenly that when they
                    arrived on-scene they were already behind the curve -- faced with
                    an eight-to-twelve-foot deep raging river, surrounding several
                    duplexes and businesses, as well as more than one hundred
                    mobile homes.   There were over 150 people trapped in trailers,
                    on roofs, or in trees.   Several structures were burning and gas
                    explosions were occurring.   In light of the overwhelming nature
                    of the events, it seems miraculous than even more lives were not
                    lost. All of the victims were rescued by 3:00 a.m.

      Since the flood, the City of Fort Collins has been working to improve some of the aspects found lacking on the night of 28 July 1997.   In order to improve its communications with the National Weather Service, Fort Collins is installing an EMWIN, or Emergency Managers Weather Information Network system.   Fort Collins was also designated one of the first PROJECT IMPACT cities in the country.   Under this program, Fort Collins is instituting a large number of programs.     Many of these programs are described on the Fort Collins OEM (Office of Emergency Management) web page, along with general safety pages for the full-complement of natural disasters that can affect the city.