Denver is drying out after heavy rain, but the flood of headaches for home and car owners is just starting to pour in.
Thursday afternoon’s storm dumped 3 inches of rain on Denver and overwhelmed the city’s storm drainage system. Intersections became impassable with the rush of water and some local business and homes flooded.
Denver residents on Jasmine Street just south of East Colfax Avenue, dealing with flooded basements and other property damage, said drainage on their block is inadequate and that the city hasn’t taken steps to deal with it despite previous floods and complaints.
On Friday morning, contract workers sucked water out of basement carpets, and people swept mud and debris off their sidewalks.
The average cost to dry out a home is $5,000, according to Tracy Mcdonough, regional marketing director for Belfor, a restoration company.
Belfor received almost 50 calls Thursday evening and Friday morning.
“Crews are scrambling out there” to get to all the sites, Mcdonough said.
At a fourplex in the 1400 block of Jasmine Street, water seeped through basement walls and basement ceilings. Basement windows shattered as the water pressure rose in window wells.
“I was talking out loud to myself. I was in a panic,” said home owner Randy Riggin, who watched helplessly as water cascaded into his basement. “I’ve never been through anything like this. It was completely overwhelming.”
Riggin’s basement flooded with about 4 feet of water Thursday evening.
Next door, Alicia Johnston scrambled through her basement setting up pots and pans to capture the wet onslaught, but she quickly realized her efforts were fruitless.
Riggin, Johnston and another neighbor, Cari Erickson, said the same intersection flooded this time last year, and water pushed up Jasmine Street toward Colfax, just like it did Thursday.
Their homes didn’t flood last year, but Erickson’s car, a Volkswagen Passat, was a total loss after water engulfed the engine and the passenger compartment.
On Thursday, Erickson moved her car to high ground and warned neighbors to do the same.
“When it comes to flooded vehicles, if the water comes over the tires, it probably reached the engine and (is) considered a total loss,” said Carole Walker, executive director of Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.
Erickson said the intersection flooded in the summer of 2009 as well.
“I’ve called three years in row,” Erickson said. “It’s frustrating. Nothing is done.”
A Denver Wastewater Storm and Drainage crew worked at the intersection Thursday during the height of the storm, and a crew was there again Friday morning checking it.
Workers said drain covers there did have some debris strewn on top of the openings, but nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.
Volume — hard rain in a short time span — was the culprit, workers said.
“You’re talking 3 inches of rain in less than an hour,” said Lupe Martinez, a manager with Denver wastewater. “Our system did function. It was just too much water at one time.”
Before the storm, city crews serviced the intersection’s drainage twice this year, on April 15 and May 9, Martinez said. It also serviced the intersection twice in 2010, on March 9 and Aug. 13.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
Tips on staying safe
City and state officials offered some tips to help residents weather the remaining storms.
Before the storm:
•Buy a first-aid kit for your car that includes a blanket, drinking water and energy bars.
•If you’re worried about getting trapped in deep water, consider buying a center punch, available at most hardware stores and some office supply stores, to break your window.
•Keep your tires properly inflated and maintain your brakes and windshield wipers.
•Watch the weather.
During the storm:
•Turn on your vehicle’s lights and defroster.
•Leave four seconds of travel distance between you and the car in front of you.
•Reduce your speed. Officers can still ticket you for going the speed limit if they think the conditions are dangerous.
•If you’re having trouble, pull off the road and into a parking lot or rest stop.
•Don’t abandon your car. During large storms, police officers and the Department of Transportation will be making rounds.
•Don’t try to walk through moving water. Six inches of it can cause most people to fall, and between 1 and 2 feet of it will cause most cars to float.
Sources: City of Denver, Colorado Department of Transportation
Dealing with flood damage
If you experience a power outage
Throw away any food that is warmer than 41°F for more than 4 hours · Do not eat any food that has come in contact with flood water. If food in the freezer feels frozen to the touch, it is safe.
If your home has flooded:
•Contact your insurance company immediately. Open windows and ventilate well.
•ACT QUICKLY: Dry wet or damp areas within 24-48 hours after the flood.
•Remove all the excess water with mops or a wet vacuum.
•Use portable fans to increase the circulation.
•DO NOT use a central furnace blower if flooding has occurred in it or any of the ducts. In extreme flooding where water has soaked the walls it may be necessary to open wall cavities, remove baseboards, or pry open wall paneling.
