Douglas hit by flooding

Highway closed; residents of 86 homes ordered out

Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 8, 2006 at midnight

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A slow-moving storm unleashed heavy rains Friday night in southern Douglas County, where part of the highway between Deckers and Westcreek was washed out by flooding, and authorities were going to each home to tell residents to seek higher ground.

Deputies shut down Colorado 67 between Deckers and Westcreek; South Deckers Road at Deckers; and Colorado 67 at Nighthawk Road, about eight miles north of Deckers.

It was a familiar sight for authorities dealing with nature's wrath. It was the area of Colorado's worst fire, the Hayman Fire, which charred 138,000 acres in 2002.

The biggest problem facing deputies and the Colorado Department of Transportation was Colorado 67 between Westcreek and Deckers, said Fritz Homann, CDOT spokesman.

Road crews were called to clear debris from the flooded highway about 8:30 p.m., when they encountered more trouble.

"I got a second call that the flooding had caused a washout, and the highway will be closed indefinitely," Homann said.

The sheriff's office said the highway was washed out at several places along with smaller roads and driveways.

Meanwhile, Douglas County's emergency preparedness network phoned 86 homes in the Westcreek subdivision telling residents to seek safety at higher elevations because of flash flooding.

Deputies and law enforcement officers from Douglas, Jefferson and Teller counties were headed to the area, trying to reach people in their homes to tell them to leave.

Deputies also reached several popular campgrounds, north of Deckers and along Colorado 67 on Friday evening and evacuated campers, the sheriff's office said.

Witnesses told deputies that the flooding was about 60 to 80 feet wide and moving north of Deckers, the sheriff's office said.

The debris had crossed into the Trumble area, north of Deckers.

Residents and stranded motorists were seeking shelter at the Northfork Fire Station in the Trumble area at South Deckers Road at the boundary of Douglas and Jefferson counties

The deluge occurred about 6:30 p.m. In a short period, areas of southern Douglas received the heaviest amounts of rainfall from the storm, said -Kyle Fredin, National Weather Service meteorologist.

From 1.4 to 1.75 inches of rain pummeled the area during the storm, which peaked about 8 p.m.

The flooding primarily resulted from the many creeks, such as West Creek, Trout Creek and Horse Creek, which funnel into the same area.

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