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Old 05-22-2008, 19:10   #1
Sdiver
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Colorado Tornados

This afternoon, there were several tornado's touching down in the Northern Colorado area.

The largest tornado was estimated to be about the width of a football field, hitting the small town of Windsor, just West of Greeley. The town, from the pics and footage I've seen is devastated.

Story here.

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/p...Y&pageId=1.1.1

The first pic is of the main tornado.
The second pic is the path it took, from SE to NW. The town of Greeley is under the town name of Milliken and Longmont is just west of the town name Plateville sign.

This is Firebeef's and CoLawman's AO. We were ready to go up and assist as needed. I'm on pager tonight also as needed.

Check in when you can guys.
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File Type: jpg map.jpg (18.3 KB, 43 views)
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Old 05-22-2008, 19:26   #2
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Sdiver,

Glad ya'll are okay! Be careful out there, in the tall pines!

Holly
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Old 05-22-2008, 21:39   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by echoes View Post
Be careful out there, in the tall pines!
The only "tall pines" in this part of CO are holding up telephone/electric wires.
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Old 05-23-2008, 04:57   #4
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Sdiver...Firebeef's and CoLawman's

Hope all is well out on the prairie. Message traffic passed through yesterday, but haven’t seen any declarations come out of the storms yet so I hope that is a good sign.

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Old 05-23-2008, 05:12   #5
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I heard about it late this morning over here in Iraq. Ft. Collins is my old AO. I have friends there, Loveland, Milliken, Longmont, LaPorte, just about everywhere along the path of that thing. So far none of them lost anything in that storm. Keeping fingers crossed.
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Old 05-23-2008, 06:59   #6
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Unsettled weather

We also had funnel clouds here in Cheyenne yesterday afternoon and again last night. Watched one form just a few blocks away from the house, another one touched down just east of town just after 8pm, little damage and it lifted quite quickly. We were watching the weather station radars on-line and saw what was headed for us, so we closed the office and sent everyone home for the afternoon. Sirens went off 3 times yesterday, anyone got some doggy prozac for a beagle that is now terrified of the sounds?

They are saying a good chance of more of the same today.
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Old 05-23-2008, 12:10   #7
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Amazing storm. Firebeef and I responded early on and spent most of the day and night there. The devastation is beyond belief. Even more incredible was the unexplained (miracle) lack of severe and far spread casualties. Amazing response from First Responders from all over the state. National Guard is moving in tonight to assist with security as most assisting agencies are already taxed. Our PD sent 48 officers the first day. We cannot keep up that pace and appreciate the Guard. I don't know how many of Firebeef's men responded but it was a slew.

Here is a link to photos, videos of the actual tornado and first person accounts.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/
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Old 05-23-2008, 13:24   #8
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Excellent photos of Tornado damage

http://photos.denverpost.com/photopr...bum-7509&num=1
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Old 05-23-2008, 13:32   #9
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Though these disasters are terrible, they are a great example of how amazing this nation is because of how amazing its people are witnessing people helping people. Thank you to all the law enforcement officers, Firemen, National Guardsmen, Red Cross workers, volunteers for displaying such awesome virtues.
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Old 05-23-2008, 15:28   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoLawman View Post
Amazing storm. Firebeef and I responded early on and spent most of the day and night there.
Glad you both are ok. Prayers out to all affected...
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Old 05-23-2008, 19:05   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor View Post
The only "tall pines" in this part of CO are holding up telephone/electric wires.
Greetings Sir!

From my visits to Beaver Creek, Winter Park, Breckenridge, and Crested Butte...I can say that I have always admired and enjoyed the Pine Tree of CO.

Am glad ya'll are okay...those Tornados can be a bitch to deal with...as we in Oklahoma know for fact!

Holly

Last edited by echoes; 05-23-2008 at 19:46.
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Old 05-27-2008, 04:37   #12
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Federal Aid Programs For Colorado Disaster Recovery

Release Date: May 26, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-081Factsheet

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=43546

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Bush's major disaster declaration.

Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families Can Include as Required:

* Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
* Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
* Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs. (Source: FEMA funded at 75 percent of total eligible costs; 25 percent funded by the state.)
* Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for state benefits, such as self-employed individuals. (Source: FEMA funded; state administered.)
* Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance. Loans available up to $200,000 for primary residence; $40,000 for personal property, including renter losses. Loans available up to $1.5 million for business property losses not fully compensated by insurance. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
* Loans up to $1.5 million for small businesses that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster's adverse economic impact. This loan in combination with a property loss loan cannot exceed a total of $1.5 million. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
* Loans up to $500,000 for farmers, ranchers and aquaculture operators to cover production and property losses, excluding primary residence. (Source: Farm Service Agency, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.)
* Other relief programs: Crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; advisory assistance for legal, veterans benefits and social security matters.
* Assistance for the State and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:
* Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state, tribal and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)

How to Apply for Assistance:

* Those in the counties designated for assistance to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time) seven days a week. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.
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Old 05-27-2008, 07:29   #13
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Thanks Ret10Echo.

This has been forwarded to some of our officers who lost homes in the Tornado.
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Old 05-27-2008, 09:43   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoLawman View Post
Thanks Ret10Echo.

This has been forwarded to some of our officers who lost homes in the Tornado.
Hope they can get some assistance. Unfortunately this information doesn't get distributed well enough..


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Old 05-27-2008, 14:01   #15
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Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. The last several days have been pretty darned busy as you might imagine.

thanks to Sdiver and Razor for phone calls and emails.

I have decided that being a blogger (or anything pertaining to keeping up on cyberspace) is probably NOT something I should be looking into.

My shift "C" shift was on duty last Thursday. It was the last day of our rotation (or set of 3 work days) before the holiday weekend. It had already been a pretty dogged rotation. Sunday....which is usually a pretty mellow day at the ol' Firehouse had been an asskicker....so we were looking at running a few sick & injured calls Thursday, having a muscle-building, sweat inducing workout Thursday afternoon, so we could roll into the long weekend looking lean and mean.....189 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal!

The twisted steel part was soon to take on an apopcalyptic connotation.

The weather service had called for a 30% chance of "showers" last Thursday. We were finishing up lunch when a call came in on dispatch about a tanker-trailer rollover on Highway 85 in Gilcrest, CO. A truck rollover on 85 is about as common on tumbleweeds in this part of the country, so we didn't think anything about it, until a 2nd call came in 1 minute later about a different overturned truck up CO Highway 60....but this time due to "high winds". Followed shortly thereafter by a report of a Tornado touchdown. We were amazed. The sun was shining in west Greeley. we walked outside, and the entire western sky was BLACK....I mean BLACK....I am from Florida originally, so I have seen weird skies ...tornado skies...before, but I have never seen this degree of black before, and hope I never do again. There is a vacant lot across the street from my station, and the wind was whipping the dust like I have never seen it do before. A moment later we were dispatched to a "power line down" and then all hell broke loose.

We ended up at the dairy just north of 34 business, and due north of the State Farm Insurance regional headquarters campus. (more to follow on that) probably not more than 5 minutes after the tornado had passed. This is where I ran into COlawman. We only had the chance to talk for a few minutes...we had bigger fish to fry...the milking barn..... a steel structure ....looked like one of those old Erector sets that had just had a 7 year old have a tantrum on. The girders and support posts were just twisted and contorted every which way. Dead cattle, and walking eviscarated cows and calves were walking around in a daze...along with the dairy workers. The dairy workers were all accounted for. The fatality was in an old park, which is called Missile Silo Park was directly behind (north) of the dairy. The guy looked like he was trying to get out of his camper, but didn't make it. It is amazing....and absoloutley nothing short of a miracle, that he was the only fatality that day. There was a huge stack of those 3 ton square hay bales scattered about like a kid's wooden block set.....absoloutley amazing.

My son works in the grill at the State Farm HQ. They were about to serve lunch when he heard the fans in the kitchen clank...."and then they started turning like airplane propellors, suckin in napkins and papers towards the grill" he told me. They had no idea, until someone yelled "tornado" and a few windows brokle out. There should have been 50 fatalities at State Farm alone....but again....we have a magic luck cloud or something hanging over our community.

It was a day to remember for sure. We even had a structure fire later in the afternoon to even things out!!!
Thanks to everyone who sent us thoughts and prayers for our communties. We will recover and survive surely as the sun will rise in the morning....we always will.

The power of nature is truly amazing and awe inspiring. Once again, we are reminded, that for all our modern technology and gee-whiz gadgetry, Mother Nature and the ol Man upstairs are the ones really running the show.

Be safe
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Last edited by Firebeef; 05-27-2008 at 14:08.
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