A sampling of recent editorials from Colorado newspapers:
STATE:
The Coloradoan, Sept. 14, on the Colorado floods:
Questions will flow over the next days, perhaps months, about the devastating Flood of 2013.
But we already know that this flood will long be recalled for its breadth and impact on lives. Not just one rainstorm, but an ongoing series of what seemed to be endless storms over two days led to death and destruction from Colorado Springs to Northern Colorado, heavily impacting communities in its path such as Boulder, Longmont, Lyons, Loveland and Fort Collins.
Just north of our city, a previous disaster—the High Park Fire—only added to its cruel notoriety by sending unfettered ash-laden waters rushing down the Poudre Canyon. And with worried eyes upon it, the Seaman Reservoir spilled over its dam, prompting road and bridge closures for miles below into Fort Collins. Poudre schools and CSU were closed, and businesses were shuttered because customers and trade couldn’t get to them.
While circumstances are different, this disaster is all too familiar for those who have lived in Northern Colorado. This situation prompts us to pause and reflect on the 1976 Big Thompson Flood, which impacted the entire canyon from Estes Park on down, as well as the 1997 Spring Creek Flood in Fort Collins. The Big Thompson Flood claimed 143 lives; five women died in the Fort Collins flood.
Since then, flood-mitigation efforts and emergency response tactics have improved dramatically, but history has shown us that not even those advancements can mend what has been lost or prevent damage from what the National Weather Service referred to as a weather pattern of biblical proportions. Road and other infrastructure damage will take millions of dollars and months to repair. More so, fears of those displaced by the floods will linger.
But those previous floods also are symbolic of the resilience of human spirit. Estes Park, Drake and Loveland rebounded from unspeakable tragedy with dignity and honor. Residents reached out to help each other not just in the immediate aftermath but for many years. In Fort Collins, friends and neighbors united with an immeasurable strength to rebuild the Spring Creek area and demand flood protections for the future. Most importantly, none of those lost have been forgotten.
We expect nothing less from Northern Colorado in the months to come. Already, help is on the way. An official with SERVE 6.8, which opened a Red Cross shelter with the Salvation Army and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office at Timberline Church, said there had been a huge community outpouring by Friday afternoon.
Just as those impacted by the previous floods as well as wildfires have done, Northern Coloradans will extend hands and hearts to help each other once again.
Editorial:
———
The Fort Morgan Times, Sept. 16, on the flooding:
It’s been a tough summer for the people of the great state of Colorado.
We started in June with flames destroy homes and landmarks along the Front Range. Hundreds of families lost their homes and businesses.
And Coloradans prayed for rain.
Well, we guess the lesson here is, be careful what you wish for.
Over the last week, the rain came. And came. And came.
In some areas of the state, it’s still coming.
We’ve spent the last few days watching as homes and businesses were swept away. We’ve watched craters grow in roads and cars get swallowed.
We’ve watched entire towns become cut off by the waters.
Six people have lost their lives and there is still more than 1,000 missing.
And we’ve watched the rescues—people pulled from their cars, convoys of military trucks and airlifts to bring people out of the flood zone, to safety.
The images we are seeing are chilling—bridges washed away, railroad tracks washed out, sandbags and stranded animals—all the more so because we know these things are happening to our neighbors in towns we’ve visited and driven through on our travels.
Here in Morgan County, we were lucky.
By the time the flood crest got here, it was not nearly as destructive as it had been in Boulder, Lyons, Longmont, Loveland and Jamestown.
But we had fair warning. We had time to prepare. We could close roads, evacuate homes, business and parks. We could have equipment on standby to move debris so the river could keep moving smoothly.
We were the lucky ones.
We want to thank all those first responders who worked all weekend man roadblock and keeping the citizens of Morgan County safe.
We know there was damage. Riverside Park took the brunt of in Fort Morgan and there were some roads washed out in the county. Some roads to other parts of the state have been completely washed away. This will take time to repair and we ask our fellow citizens to have patience.
Remember, we were the lucky ones.
Editorial:
———
The Denver Post, Sept. 16, on the will to rebuild:
The numbers tell the devastating story.
At least seven confirmed or presumed dead so far, with more expected.
More than 400 unaccounted for, with most of those, we hope, alive and well. But a few who likely are injured or dead.
Nearly 12,000 who have been evacuated, and at least 500 in shelters throughout the state.
That is the toll on people of the past week’s historic flooding in Colorado. The toll on property is much higher.
At least 1,500 structures destroyed so far and nearly 18,000 damaged. Thirty state bridges destroyed and another 20 seriously damaged, which, along with many miles of roads damaged throughout the state, will cause hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs at a minimum.
The September 2013 floods are, without a doubt, the worst natural disaster in Colorado so far this century, easily eclipsing the death and destruction of the last several massive wildfires.
But we will rebuild.
The waters will recede, and we will begin the long process of cleanup and reconstruction.
“Our bridges are broken. Our roads are broken. Our spirits are not broken,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Monday that federal, state and local governments will work with “speed, not haste” in administering aid to Coloradans and repairing infrastructure.
In the short run, Fugate said, FEMA will help get many displaced people in rental housing or aid them in making “expedient repairs.”
The tone set by Fugate was welcome in light of the damage done to the agency’s image during the Hurricane Katrina response.
“The old FEMA is gone,” Hickenlooper said.
Like Hickenlooper, Fugate said communities would be rebuilt to better withstand flooding. Perhaps that will mean a discussion about where we shouldn’t build.
In the meantime, we should laud the courageous actions of first responders who have rescued countless people by helicopter and hiking up the backcountry to reach folks. Even the chopper carrying Hickenlooper and other dignitaries, such as U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, rescued several people and their pets.
And we should laud the thousands of ordinary Coloradans who have been helping themselves and their neighbors, at times relying on ATVs and ham radios to help rescue one another.
Those who are safe but haven’t checked in with loved ones can do so by going to the Red Cross’ website, safeandwell.org, or by calling 970-498-5500.
If you want to help others, go to helpcoloradonow.com.
Editorial:
———
The Gazette, Sept. 15, on fixing Colorado’s new elections law:
It’s time for Gov. John Hickenlooper to fix a bad bill he signed into law.
Last week’s successful recalls did more than remind politicians whom they work for by replacing two powerful senators. Campaigns advocating the recalls also highlighted some of the absurd legislation sponsored and rushed through by Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo.
Among the bad maneuvers was House Bill 1303. The new law undoes traditional checks and balances that have kept elections fair. Gone are assurances that only lawful residents of a jurisdiction get to vote in an election. Before HB1303, only the tinfoil hat crowd worried much about election fraud. Today, with HB1303, it’s a legitimate concern.
The Gazette has long supported Hickenlooper because of his background in small business. We enthusiastically asked voters to elect him when the Republican Party offered no better alternatives. We’re not interested in blaming the governor; we just want him to fix the problem.
With November elections ahead of us, Hickenlooper should seek the assistance of his party and recommend a short special legislative session to rephrase parts of HB1303. It shouldn’t take but a few hours to get this thing right before November brings multiple elections throughout the state. Fixing the law could prevent lawsuits and additional public anxiety.
Unlike the recall, the November elections won’t involve just one Senate district under the watchful eyes of Colorado’s secretary of state and countless political observers. It will include every political jurisdiction in the state and none will be able to watch closely for out-of-bounds voting.
We know the law can be abused, which is obvious to anyone who reads it. Any question about the biggest flaw in HB1303 was eliminated when Jon Caldara, a Boulder resident and president of Colorado’s Independence Institute, cast a blank ballot in the District 11 recall to make a point.
That was a high-profile stunt, and authorities could do nothing to stop it because of HB1303. Even prosecution, which seems difficult given the language of the bill, would not have stopped Caldara’s vote from counting had he actually completed the ballot. Imagine how many special-interest votes could be cast stealthily if election officials can’t even stop an act of civil disobedience committed in broad daylight with cameras rolling. Heck, it wasn’t even real disobedience. Some lawyers argue the law allowed it.
While much of HB1303 is bad, the biggest gripe involves residency.
Traditionally, one had to have roots in a community before voting in it. Not now. The wording below clearly shows that one can show up in a jurisdiction on the day of an election and vote with nothing more than an “intention” of making the place a permanent home. All the bluster about fraud prosecutions means little, given this law:
“If a person moves from one county or precinct in this state to another with the intention of making the new county or precinct a permanent residence, the person is considered to have residence in the county or precinct to which the person moved.”
This gives almost any Coloradan – especially those among us who are willing to lie – an easy opportunity to vote in local elections. Want to pass or kill a local school tax? Bring in voters willing to state an “intention” to move. Want to undo a municipal gun law? Ask impassioned gun-rights activists to show up and state their intentions to move. Supporters of Morse and Giron may never know whether out-of-jurisdiction voting hurt their senators, though no good evidence suggests it did.
Even if county officials can prosecute, they have no good means of detecting such activity. If they did, tracking down suspects and prosecuting them – by disproving their intentions beyond reasonable doubt – is a long way around. Even if successful, prosecutions won’t undo the damage.
Gov. Hickenlooper and legislators, get together and improve this law before November. Find a way to ensure that only bona fide residents get to vote in local elections.
Editorial:
———
