2013 Colorado Flood Update: The Mop-up Continues — as Does a Flood of Emotion
Editor’s Note: The recent flooding in Colorado has been debilitating to much of Estes Park, including the roads in and out of town. This is an update to Jeff Liddle’s email to Eagle Rock School parents and students about the status of the clean-up and Eagle Rock’s plans for the start of school.
By Jeff Liddle, Head of School
Hey Eagle Rockers! Estes Park is drying out and mopping up!! I attended the town meeting Tuesday for an update on the state of affairs, and apparently there’s been $100,000,000 worth of infrastructure damage to public works (roads, utilities, etc.) in Estes Park alone.
There are some heavily damaged areas within town that will be offline for months — but these areas don’t directly affect Eagle Rock. The Colorado Department of Transportation has reallocated resources to the Boulder/Fort Collins/Estes Park area and the top priority is to open up routes to Estes Park.
Despite the challenges, I’m happy to report that there was a noticeable sense of optimism during the town meeting. What I found particularly moving were the stories of residents coming together and working around the clock to patch this town back together. I’m typically not the first guy in the room to get all teary eyed, but for the last few days I’ve been choking back a lot of emotion.
I cannot express how grateful I am for all the first responders, public officials, and community members who are working to reopen Estes Park as soon as possible. Their work, in turn will also make it possible for Eagle Rock to reopen its doors.
On campus, we have been busy adjusting schedules, planning classes, participating in professional development and volunteering as part of the recovery effort. We’ve managed to fill our two additional weeks with plenty of work. Today is the first day we’ll have the majority of staff back on campus. Being reunited with everyone will surely be emotional. We have not seen each other since the flood washed out the canyons and created a lot of distance between our homes. It will be good to be together.
In my last update, I mentioned that we would not start school any earlier than September 28. I still don’t have a definitive start date, but I can report that we are progressing in a very positive direction and I hope to set a date by the end of this week.
We’re all anxious to get students back on campus just as soon as all the pieces fit together. Once again, thank you for all your kind and supportive thoughts. Look for the next update on Friday.
– Jeff Liddle, Head of School