State of Colorado 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire After Action Report TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................1 Overarching Strengths and Areas for Improvement ............................................................................................2 Overall Key Strengths ....................................................................................................................................2 Overall Key Areas for Improvement ..............................................................................................................2 Next Steps ............................................................................................................................................................2 EVENT OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................3 TIMELINE ...................................................................................................................................................................5 SUMMARY OF THE 2013 FLOODS RESPONSE ACTIONS ................................................................................ 11 Strengths ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 Areas for Improvement ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................ 14 SUMMARY OF THE 2013 BLACK FOREST FIRE RESPONSE ACTIONS .......................................................... 16 Strengths ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 Areas for Improvement ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................ 17 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix A: Improvement Plan ........................................................................................................................ 19 Appendix B: By the Numbers ............................................................................................................................ 32 Appendix C: Participating Agencies in AAR...................................................................................................... 34 Appendix D: Questionnaire ............................................................................................................................... 35 Appendix E: Declarations and Proclamations ................................................................................................... 42 Appendix F: Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... 45 MAPS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 47 i State of Colorado 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire After Action Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Colorado 2013 Floods Starting on September 9, 2013, a slow-moving storm (similar to the storm that occurred in Colorado in 1938) stalled over Colorado, resulting in heavy rains and catastrophic flooding along the Front Range. The situation intensified on September 10 and 11, ultimately affecting 18 counties. Over a five-day period, historic rainfall swept through the Front Range, with some areas receiving more than 17 inches of rain. On September 17, 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared the event a 1,000-year rainfall event, with some seven-day totals approaching 20 inches, exceeding average annual amounts. Statewide, the flooding killed 10 people, destroyed 1,882 structures, and damaged at least 16,000 other structures. Some of the hardest hit communities included Jamestown, Lyons, Longmont, Glen Haven, Estes Park, and Evans. At one point, more than 1,200 people were missing (all have since been accounted for) and more than 18,000 people were evacuated, making this disaster the largest domestic evacuation operation since Hurricane Katrina. 2013 Black Forest Fire The Black Forest Fire in El Paso County, June 11-20, 2013, was the most destructive forest fire in Colorado history. The 14,280-acre blaze damaged and destroyed 489 homes and forced the evacuation of 41,000 residents. Two people were killed when the fire consumed their house. Approximately 966 firefighters fought the blaze in a nationally coordinated effort costing over $9 million. After Action Report Development The State of Colorado initiated the effort to develop an after action report (AAR) to identify strengths and areas for improvement observed during response and recovery efforts for both the 2013 Floods and the Black Forest Fire. The AAR process included the development of a questionnaire that was provided to key stakeholders with the intent to gather information regarding response and recovery-related activities, the conduct of stakeholder interviews, and the review of event records. Through research and review of written materials as well as the interviews with State and local emergency management personnel, key strengths and areas for improvement were identified. The strengths and areas for improvement identified in this AAR directly affect the ability of the State of Colorado as a whole to respond to and recover from a disaster and are not specific to any one department, agency, county or jurisdiction. As such, the responsibility for identifying and implementing the identified recommendations and solutions to ensure that strengths are sustained and areas for improvement are remedied rests in the hands of the State of Colorado and the counties. The associated improvement plan serves as a detailed roadmap to enhance the outcome of emergency management efforts. While this AAR is focused on the events surrounding the 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire, it is designed to strengthen the State’s capacity to effectively respond in a highly coordinated way to any disaster or emergency. The AAR is composed of the following sections: • The Timeline section includes a timeline and important actions and milestones associated with the State’s response to the 2013 Floods. • The Summary of the 2013 Floods section includes an analysis of strengths and areas of improvement and additional issues for consideration for each component. • The Summary of the 2013 Black Forest Fire section includes an analysis of strengths and areas of improvement and additional issues for consideration for each component. • The Conclusion section provides a summary of the overall AAR. 1 State of Colorado 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire After Action Report • Appendix A includes an improvement plan that can serve as a standalone document and provides a roadmap for State and local agencies to improve overall emergency response and recovery capabilities. • Appendices B through F include reference documents that were used during the development of this AAR. OVERARCHING STRENGTHS AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT Listed below are the overarching strengths and areas for improvement identified during the response and recovery from the 2013 Floods and Black Forest Fire. Overall Key Strengths • Professionalism: This event highlighted countless examples of well-trained professionals and volunteers demonstrating dedication and effective service delivery to the residents of Colorado during adverse conditions. • Cooperation: The State of Colorado and FEMA Region VIII personnel worked effectively together. The Joint Field Office (JFO) was set up across the street from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), which provided the ability for close coordination as needed. • Early Warning and Notification: This was a key factor in the limited number of fatalities experienced during the floods. The use of public information for announcements, first responders out doing door-to-door notifications, as well as the use of Reverse 911 in the affected areas, enabled residents to evacuate in a timely manner. Overall Key Areas for Improvement • Communication and Coordination: Better operational communication and coordination between field personnel and the various emergency operations centers is needed. Many times information was coming from various sources and caused confusion. Establishing clearly defined communication methods and processes for sharing information with all stakeholders (field personnel, local, state, federal, private sector and the public) across disciplines would help to reduce confusion and duplication of efforts. • Staffing: Often times there were insufficient staff to fulfill the necessary roles