Major avalanche in Colorado

Maral

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DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A huge avalanche buried several cars and sent others over the edge Saturday on U.S. 40 near 11,307-foot-high Berthoud Pass, Colorado highway officials said.

"Our crews said it was the largest they have ever seen. It took three paths," said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Crews had rescued at least six people at the site some 60 miles west of Denver, she said.

Rescuers were probing the area for other survivors.

She said some cars were buried by the snow in an area called Stanley near Berthoud Falls between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m.

Berthoud Pass is the main route to Winter Park, one of Colorado's largest ski areas.
 
Oh avalanche's just scare me to death! This is awful thanks Maral for the update.
 
Avalanche On Berthoud Pass Buries Cars, Sends Some Over
Colorado highway officials say a massive avalanche buried several cars in Berthoud Pass about 60 miles west of Denver and sent other vehicles over the
edge.

MORE DETAILS: <http://www.thedenverchannel.com/tu/5lHcZrkUQ.html>

Just received this one.

I used to go ice skating at Winter Park. Most likely skiers in some of those cars.

ANOTHER big storm expected the end of next week for us!!

.
 
Hang in there Camper, I'll try to send ya some of our 82 degree out there to warm you up :)---but its nice seeing those snow-covered mountains out there, they sure are purty
 
wow latest pictures from the site--some cars pushed 300 feet down--one car looks like a tornado hit it----75 people were there helping to dig out cars and the road--luckily nobody got hurt it seems
 
Camper said:
Avalanche On Berthoud Pass Buries Cars, Sends Some Over
Colorado highway officials say a massive avalanche buried several cars in Berthoud Pass about 60 miles west of Denver and sent other vehicles over the
edge.

MORE DETAILS: <http://www.thedenverchannel.com/tu/5lHcZrkUQ.html>

Just received this one.

I used to go ice skating at Winter Park. Most likely skiers in some of those cars.

ANOTHER big storm expected the end of next week for us!!

.
Camper, we just recently sold our condo in Winter Park. Since we've moved to Texas, we didn't get a chance to use it much. I always hated going over Berthoud Pass, usually kept my eyes closed. I'm sure there were lots of skiers in those cars. My prayers are with them.
 
Maral said:
Link

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A huge avalanche buried several cars and sent others over the edge Saturday on U.S. 40 near 11,307-foot-high Berthoud Pass, Colorado highway officials said.

"Our crews said it was the largest they have ever seen. It took three paths," said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

:eek:
What I want to know is...where the hell is George Bush?
 
Sally said:
:eek:
What I want to know is...where the hell is George Bush?
Since you asked...this is from an e-mail going around the net:

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event---
may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a
historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke

trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in

lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut
power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5
snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it
to the snowbound families.

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a
mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for
'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this
early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48
degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate."

It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe SOME people will get the message.

The world does Not owe you a living.
 
Peter Hamilton said:
wow latest pictures from the site--some cars pushed 300 feet down--one car looks like a tornado hit it----75 people were there helping to dig out cars and the road--luckily nobody got hurt it seems
Everyone is thought to be out safely with only minor injuries, praise the Lord. If could have been far worse if it had been during heavy traffic periods.
 
Dark Knight said:
Since you asked...this is from an e-mail going around the net:

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event---
may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a
historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke

trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in

lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut
power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5
snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it
to the snowbound families.

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a
mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for
'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this
early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48
degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate."

It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe SOME people will get the message.

The world does Not owe you a living.




===
DK, thank you for the eye opening and revealing email.

Here locally in Colorado, the local TV channels, had their usual reporters standing in the blizzard conditions, wrapped up warmly with parkas, snuggy warm hats and scarves reporting on the local weather and problems.

THE networks have NOT sent their HUGE VEEhicles however to do COVERAGE.

There was ONE person seriously injured and hospitalized, and I have not had todays report on the condition of this person.

One thing that does happen though, WHEN snow melts it turns into water. Meaning that California will be assured of water next spring. Water runs downhill, typically.
Remember the song that Kate Smith sang so well and so often, it goes like this then AND now, "From the mountains, to the praries, to the oceans WHITE WITH FOAM, God Bless America, My Home Sweet Home". Hum along.

The biggest help folks can have are the hands at the end of their own arms. Jesse and company, like to look in the distance from whence they hope their help comes, WE on the other hand look in our mirrors and see the help reflected there, is US, with the help of God.

.
 
That looks like glurge that got passed around just after Katrina. I can't applaud it really, it looks like something Snopes will debunk. Just my opinion. My thoughts and prayers are going out to those who have suffered this winter I pray there are no more fatalities. I hope the water tables at least will refill so less will be taken by Colorado from the Arkansas river for farming.

FYI, here are some images of what an F4 tornado does, (F4 Devastating Tornado: 207-260 mph winds, "Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated." quoted from the Tornado Project site.)
0423destructionhoisingtsn4.jpg


tornado72001se0.jpg


tornado112001ii9.jpg


tornado122001my4.jpg


it's my hometown from a few years ago, (Not where I currently live, though my parents, friends, and siblings live in the area.) the Hoisington Kansas tornado, April 21, 2001. ("April 21, 2001 9:15 PM
About one fifth of the town of Hoisington, Barton County, Kansas, was destroyed by a violent tornado...one of a family of large tornadoes. As many as 100 people may have been injured, 26 of whom were hospitalized. One elderly man was killed in the debris of his home. His wife just barely made it to the cellar. He was a few steps behind, and did not make it. About two blocks in the northwest part of town had F4 damage. Students huddled in the basement of the Knights of Columbus hall on a prom night that they won't soon forget." quoted from the Tornado Project site.) Luckily all the prom goers had a basement to get into, there was only one fatality, a man who wasn't bright enough to listen to his wife and take shelter. The first news stories quoted her as saying she begged him to come to the basement, but he wanted to watch the storm. (The final image is the fatal vehicle that was flung onto the man, killing him I do believe.) The controller for the sirens was in the next town over, and that town wasn't in danger. The controller's disbelief of the severity of the storm caused them not to sound the alarm for Hoisington. Even though the sirens didn't go off, the weather caster was telling people to take shelter, and most people did. (We Kansans can sense a bad storm, and most of us take shelter when we do.) Tornadoes at least can be predicted and warnings given. Avalanches are more tricky I would think. I do wonder though why the higher passes weren't closed since there has been so much snowfall? Did the people in charge discount the risk of avalanche?
 
Mighty pictures of natures ability to make us wake up.

There had been some pre - words are failing me here, there had been some pre pared explosions to cause mini controls of the snow. Apparently MORE snowfall and heavier snowfall had fallen on frozen snowfall surfaces, creating more of a sliding/avalanche concern AFTER that.

The Colorado weather is a phenomenom because typically we have faster snowmelt because of the SUN and being just a mile closer to the sun.

So a heavy snow in the east will leave black ice til spring, I grew up in Michigan, WE had lumpy black ice all winter. Colorado could have the same amount of snow and make national headlines, and be GONE in one or two days totally.

When sunny days come after the snow and cause surface melting that yet again freezes during the nighttime because of much much colder temperatures, this increases the danger of an avalanche.

I may not have explained this too well.

Boy what I don't know about Arkansas water supply has no doubt filled the pages of many weather maps. Sounds like a rob Peter to pay Paul thing.

/
 
Well, the state of Kansas had to sue the state of Colorado to make them stop taking so much out of the Arkansas river, if that tells you anything. Kansas won, and has to periodically take Colorado back to court to make them abide by the ruling. I don't blame the individuals who post here, I doubt any of them farm, FTR. I really do hope that maybe the Colorado droughts will be ended though, it will be better for them, and better for the Arkansas river. That way something good will have come from all the misery and suffering brought on by so much snow. I suppose it did get my back up a bit though, to have people saying how well they take disasters, as if other states don't have to deal with the aftermath of natural events. We all do what we have to, to survive. I hope at least that Colorado will come out of this more healthy, and more able to grow gardens.

:truce:
 
Dark Knight said:
Since you asked...this is from an e-mail going around the net:

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event---
may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a
historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke

trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in

lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut
power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for the government.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5
snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera.

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it
to the snowbound families.

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a
mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for
'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this
early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48
degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate."

It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe SOME people will get the message.

The world does Not owe you a living.

Wow.........now I know what survivor guilt feels like.........

Hurricane Charley - Level 4 to 5 - hit me and hit me hard. I did have the Pres walking around my town and FEMA did help out, but movie stars and debit cards were no where to be found unless it happened on the days that we were digging ourselves out from under the debris. I would have LOVED to have a little snow during those two weeks without electricity in August in Florida even if it were only used to melt and flush a toilet.

I'd tell ya more but the disks in my lower back that were hernieted from the shoveling of bricks and roofs are throbbing too bad to live in the past!

Prayers for those in Colorado - minus the Enablers of the Murderer of JonBenet.
 
RiverRat, yep sure wouldn't have minded a little cooler weather after Jean and Francis knocked out the electricity that year in September, although the weather after Wilma was perfect,--and luckily our toilets worked fine thruout all three storms--also luckily my girlfriend's mother got power back the second day so we hightailed it over there the first two storms--During Charley I was in a hotel in North Naples but we only had 60 mph winds--farther north in Punta Gorda winds gusted to 140 mph I think--where are you located?
 
Dark Knight said:
...Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event---
may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a
historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke
trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in
lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut
power to 10's of thousands...
Thanks for the post. Amazing and so true. These people do not expect something for nothing. They figure out a way to take care of themselves. That's how I was raised, too.
 
Let's see...New Orleans floods leaving thousands waiting rescue and it takes 4 days to begin rescue efforts, 3 climbers go missing on MT. Hood and the Reserves immediately start search and rescue.
 
I see I'm not the only one whose back was got up over that glurge...
 
Powerful insights everyone. I don't own the snow drifts in Colorado, nor did I cause them.

Indeed snow melts and becomes useful 'for the most part'.

As far as I know, Jesus was the only one who walked on water.

There always seems to be a BIG problem for those left stranded by massive amounts of water. Especially IF they are sitting on their rooftops, and their home has become a part of the sea.

IF Colorado were hit by 'instant' flooding, I suspect we would be hard put to rescue everyone all at once either, OR to make good use of the 'excess' water.

In my years of living I have never been present to personally be involved in a major tragedy of 'Mother Natures' doing. Although I lived one block downhill from the Arkansas River in Wichita Kansas in the 1940's. AFter days and days and days of rain it had reached and passed flood stage.

Everyone brought sandbags to block up the shores, but, the street in front of our home had folks going hither and yon in small boats. I was too young to realize the inherent danger to all of us, IF the 'sandbag people' had not arrived, and had the rain continued.

I note the author of DK's email has apparently chosen to remain anonymous, er at least did not copyright his/her work.

I shudder to think of how we all might behave to a BIGGER man made terrorist attack on an America that is not prepared to handle it.

.

This may not be the place to air my wonderment, about WHAT should we be doing to prepare for a man made MAJOR attack brought to us by someone other than Mother Nature?

.
 

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