NEWS RELEASE: Severe Weather Awareness Week

Contact:
Communications Specialist
Jennifer Hillmann
720-879-2462
jennifer.hillmann@state.co.us

Colorado DHSEM Preparing Colorado Residents for Severe Weather

Centennial, Colo. – April 17, 2017 —The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s READYColorado program partners with the Colorado National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Offices to prepare individuals for hazardous weather year-round. Colorado DHSEM supports the National Seasonal Safety Campaign’s goal of building a Weather-Ready Nation, one that is prepared for extreme weather, water, and climate events. This week the READYColorado program focuses on thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding preparedness.

Thunderstorms/Lightning/Hail

Thunderstorms can produce deadly lightning capable of striking up to 10 miles away from a storm even if you don't see rain you could be in harm’s way! Remember this simple message: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors! Identify where the nearest shelter is located, and if the skies turn threatening, head inside immediately. Read more at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/thunderstorm/ weather.gov/lightning

Severe thunderstorms can produce damaging hail. Hail is a form of precipitation that occurs when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops upward into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere where they freeze into ice. Hail can cause billions of dollars of damage to structures, crops and livestock. If hail is coming, find shelter, stay indoors, and stay away from windows.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard.

Flooding

The National Severe Storms Laboratory states that flooding occurs in every U.S. state and territory, and is a threat experienced anywhere in the world that receives rain. In the U.S. floods kill more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.

Here are a few flood safety tips:  

• Turn Around, Don't Drown. Avoid flooded areas with rapid flowing water. Do not attempt to cross a flowing stream. It takes only six inches of fast flowing water to sweep you off your feet.
• Get to higher ground. Stay away from high water-prone areas including dips, low spots, valleys, ditches, washes, etc.
• Don't allow children to play near high water, storm drains or ditches. Hidden dangers could lie beneath the water.

Want more tips and ideas? Head over to our website at www.READYColorado.com and read the full blog post, or follow us all week on our social media accounts for new posts on severe weather awareness each day.

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Follow READYColorado each week for new preparedness information:
On Twitter: @READYColorado
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/READYColorado
Website: http://www.READYColorado.com

  

Colorado Daily Status Report: August 31, 2016

 

Colorado Daily Status Report August 31, 2016

Information in this report was gathered prior to 8:30 a.m.

Alerts/Warnings National Terrorism Advisory System

No Current Alerts | Bulletin

Activation Level

Daily Operations

Current Disasters/Large Incidents 

 

Incident Name	Beaver Creek Fire
Incident Start Date	June 19, 2016
Location/County	Jackson County, 15 miles Northwest of Walden, Colo.
Cause	Unknown
Acres	37,571 Acres
Containment	53% Containment
Evacuations	Mandatory evacuations and area closures in place
Fatalities/Injuries	No fatalities reported
Structures Lost	1 Cabin, 8 Outbuildings, 3 Historic Outbuildings
Resources	NIMO Team
Funding	Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) approved
Information Sources	http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4797/,Twitter @FS_MBRTB Facebook: Beaver Creek Fire

 

Read the full Colorado Daily Status Report for August 31, 2016.

Colorado Daily Status Report: July 13, 2016

Colorado Daily Status Report July 13, 2016

Information in this report was gathered prior to 8:30 a.m.

Alerts/Warnings
National Terrorism Advisory System: No Current Alerts | Bulletin

CIAC Awareness Bulletin

State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Status
Activation Level III

Current Disasters/Large Incidents 

Incident Name	Cold Springs Fire
Incident Start Date	July 9, 2016
Location/County	Boulder County, North of Nederland
Cause	Human
Acres	528 Acres
Containment	25% Containment
Evacuations	Mandatory evacuations and area closures in place
Fatalities/Injuries	No fatalities reported
Structures Lost	8 homes confirmed destroyed
Resources	Type II IMT | 486 personnel| State EOC Level III Activation
Funding	Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) approved, Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)
Information Sources	http://www.boulderoem.com/emergency-status/@BoulderOEM,Facebook Boulder OEM,http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4848/

Incident Name	Hayden Pass Fire
Incident Start Date	July 10, 2016
Location/County	Fremont County, 20 miles Southeast of Salida, Colo.
Cause	Lightning
Acres	12,193 Acres
Containment	0% Containment
Evacuations	Mandatory evacuations and area closures in place
Fatalities/Injuries	None reported
Structures Lost	None reported
Funding	Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) Approved
Resources	IMT II | 247 personnel |State EOC Activated Level III
Information Sources Community Meeting	http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4849/, Twitter:@HaydenPassFire, Facebook:Fremont County Sheriff’s Office & https://www.facebook.com/HaydenPassFire/ 7 p.m. on July 13, 2016 at the Cotopaxi school gym.

Incident Name	Beaver Creek Fire
Incident Start Date	June 19, 2016
Location/County	Jackson County, 15 miles Northwest of Walden, Colo.
Cause	Unknown
Acres	20,380 Acres
Containment	5% Containment
Evacuations	Mandatory evacuations and area closures in place
Fatalities/Injuries	No fatalities reported/ one minor firefighter injury
Structures Lost	2 Outbuildings
Resources	Type III IMT | 231 total personnel
Funding	Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) approved
Information Sources	http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4797/,Twitter @FS_MBRTB

Major Road Closures

Read the full Colorado Daily Status Report for July 13, 2016.

Colorado Daily Status Report: June 28, 2016

Colorado Daily Status Report June 28, 2016

Information in this report was gathered prior to 8:30 a.m.

Alerts/Warnings
National Terrorism Advisory System: No Current Alerts | New Bulletin

CIAC Awareness Bulletin

State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Status
Day to Day

Current Disasters/Large Incidents 

Incident Name	Beaver Creek Fire
Incident Start Date	June 19, 2016
Location/County	Jackson County, 20 miles northwest of Walden, Colo.
Cause	Unknown
Acres	5,843 Acres
Containment	5% Containment
Evacuations	Mandatory evacuations and area closures in place
Fatalities/Injuries	No fatalities reported/ one minor firefighter injury
Structures Lost	None reported
Resources	Type II IMT | June 23, 120 total personnel
Funding	Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) approved
Information Sources	http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4797/,Twitter @FS_MBRTB

 Major Road Impacts

None reported

Read the full Colorado Daily Status Report for June 28, 2016.