Emergency Officials & Volunteers Help Larimer County Residents Get Ready 'To Take Quick Action'
LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Northern Coloradans spent Saturday helping their friends and neighbors get ready for Sunday's storm. They, along with readiness mobilization group Serve 6.8, spent the day making sandbags for people who live in or near the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar in case there is flooding in the area.
"If there's major rain that happens, anything like that, sandbags will be a help," says Ashlee Schmitt, Volunteer Coordinator for Serve 6.8.
Lori Hodges the Director of Emergency Management for Larimer County says mother nature hasn't made it easy to prepare for the threat of flooding on the burn scar but this storm isn't likely to do major damage to the area.
"Because of the timing of this fire with winter ending it and then having winter last as long as it has this spring it's been really hard to do any efforts," Hodge said. "We will probably see some localized erosion or a little bit of flood events but we shouldn't see any wide scale flooding from this storm."
They do have plans to drop off sandbags for residents in mid May, as well as debris removal efforts planned for the entire summer, but she says the most important thing people who live near the scar and traveling through the area can do is sign up for emergency alerts from the county and National Weather Service.
There is one called imminent threat which will tell you when it's time to flee.
"If you do get that, you have to take quick action and seek high ground immediately."
Other than that, getting your important documents ready to go and having a portable radio handy is important. To sign up for alerts from Larimer County and the National Weather Service text flood 2021 to 888777.
