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Pitkin County
EMERGENCY
Management
Public Safety Information 970.429.1800 |
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PITKIN COUNTY PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Pat Bingham Community Relations - 920-5204 Contact: Scott Thompson - 704-0675 Basalt Fire Chief CREEKS AND RIVERS EXPECTED TO RISE SHARPLY WITH WARM WEATHER (BASALT, CO) - Emergency Management officials on the multi-jurisdictional Incident Management Team monitoring and responding to Spring Runoff say as temperatures rise some flooding is eminent in low lying areas. Officials are closely monitoring water levels valley wide, particularly in the vicinity of the Roaring Fork and Pan and Fork mobile home parks in Basalt. "If we have standing water that reaches utility connections underneath trailers, for instance, we'll shut off the gas and electricity and begin evacuating residents," said Basalt Fire Chief Scott Thompson. Trailer park owners have been notified to keep their residents informed about the possibility of evacuation to the Eagle County Community Center where the Red Cross will set up a temporary shelter if the need arises. Roaring Fork Trailer Park Manager, Debbie Alcorta told the Incident Management Team Tuesday that she has moved more than 30 "junk" cars out of the trailer park along with multiple truckloads of garbage and debris to keep potential flood waters from pooling inside the park. She has purchased sandbags and sand for the residents to use if they need it. Pitkin County Emergency Management Coordinator, Ellen Anderson told the group that private ponds and reservoirs are also a concern and advised residents who have them on their property to watch them closely and report any breaches. "Irrigation ditches can also be a problem during spring runoff if they get clogged with debris. Homeowners near irrigation ditches and ponds should have contact information for ditch owners in case they begin to flood," Anderson said. Aspen Earthmoving contractors have offered to be "at the ready" in case of emergency to move rocks and dirt in place to protect homes and infrastructure. The Roaring Fork Transit Agency is also on alert in case busses are needed to evacuate residents. Citizens are invited to sign up for a new alert notification system called EC Alert. The system is set up as to immediately contact citizens during urgent or emergency situations with information and updates by sending text messages to email accounts, cell phones, Smartphones, PDAs and other handheld devices. Log on to www.ecalert.org to sign up. There is no charge for this service, except the normal charges for receiving text messages on cell phones. Flood Preparedness information is available online at www.aspenpitkinemergency.com. A "How to Sandbag" DVD is available on request by calling 920-5234. ###
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