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The members of Girl Scouts of Colorado continue to provide assistance to those in their communities whose lives and homes have been turned upside down by the flooding last month in Colorado. We understand how fortunate we are that our impact is limited to damage to one camp (Kiwa Korral) and one office building (Colorado Springs Service Center). Our girls and volunteers whose primary residence and families were affected will be missed as they will have to put Girl Scout participation on the back burner.
I understand that members are anxious for more details about the damage to Kiwa Korral and the future of the property. In this post, I am sharing photos that were taken last week during the only time our property manager has been able to step foot on the property, with our insurance adjustor. The course of the river has moved dramatically, which will affect our property lines, and this is one of the largest areas of uncertainty for the property and its future. As the photos show, the gate that used to open to a road to our property now opens to a river. Authorities are denying us access to the property with the exception of the insurance visit because the only way to access Kiwa is on foot via the neighbor’s property and crossing the old river’s flow.
We are working as fast as local authorities will allow on determining a course of action, yet it’s clearly going to be a slow process. Understandably, much higher priority is being given to primary residence property owners. We have spoken with Boulder County and the Colorado Department of Emergency Management, and it is still too early to get answers on the course of the North St. Vrain River.
According to the Boulder County Sherriff’s office, the county’s priority is to open roads and utilities so that people whose homes were cut off can get back to some function of their lives. There are 6 different agencies working on the river and property rights issues, so it will undoubtedly be a lengthy process. Talks of clean-up efforts will be down the road some time.
In the meanwhile, I must stress that, no one is granted access to the Kiwa Korral property, as it is a major safety hazard. Thank you for your understanding and patience.