On this evening in 1976, 8 inches of rain fell above the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon just above Drake, Colorado claiming 146 lives (including 6 who have never been found). Since then, flood warning systems were created to ensure such a disaster would never occur again.
Let this event remind us how powerful Mother Nature truly is, and she is not a force to be reckoned with. We need to respect the power of nature, and always make ourselves aware of her activities. Today, we have signage along all of Colorado's canyon roadways that say: "In case of flood, climb to safety." Sadly, on that day in the Big Thompson Canyon, the canyon walls were too steep for any human to climb without special gear, and the rains came way too fast for anyone to take proper measures. A lucky few did make it to safety though.
This blog entry is in tribute to those who lost their lives on this fateful day 35 years ago, and I pray they know their deaths have not gone in vain. Meteorologists and emergency managers have learned alot from this event, and this event is still the focus of new journal articles to this day.
Here is a link to Larimer County's website in reference to this event: http://www.larimerco.com/5visitors/51004big_thompson.htm
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