Yes, it has been one of those unusually wet, cold winters, with a great deal of moisture. Yes, so far the spring is very wet, with the possibility of high flows looming largely in our near future. And yes, the Corps of Engineers teams are already on the job, assisting, wherever needed, with emergency preparedness.
On April 6, 2019, Don Gallegos, Emergency Management specialist, Readiness and Contingency Operations Branch, and Dawit Degefa, civil engineer, Hydrology and Hydraulics Section, both from Albuquerque District, headed out to Walsenburg, Colorado, to conduct sandbag training. Both of these communities are downstream from the Spring Creek burn scar.
“Larry Sanders, the emergency manager for Huerfano County, Colorado, requested the sandbag training from the Corps,” said Gallegos. “This training was the largest event that the Albuquerque District has done in Colorado,” he said. “Approximately 100 people participated in the event. During the training, the team also distributed pamphlets, and discussed proper sandbag placement.”