Cut off in chaos: communication and life-saving action amid rising rural water during the 2013 Colorado Floods
| dc.contributor.author | Pohl, Jason, author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Malin, Stephanie, advisor | |
| dc.contributor.author | Peek, Lori, committee member | |
| dc.contributor.author | Trumbo, Craig, committee member | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-06-09T15:41:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-06-09T15:41:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017 | |
| dc.description.abstract | During a few days in mid-September 2013, more than a foot of rain fell in the mountains of northern Colorado, transforming streams into torrents and spurring a massive emergency response effort. High water demolished homes, ate away chunks of main highways, and stranded people across the state. Glen Haven, located in rural Larimer County, was among the hardest hit communities (AAR 2015). Cut off and eventually without electricity or telephone access, the community's volunteer fire department served as the primary rescue agency during the disaster and for weeks after, from organizing the initial shelter-in-place order by telephone to assisting in the evacuation effort. Firefighters pulled victims from the water, worked with county, state, and federal authorities to facilitate helicopter evacuations, and provided medical treatment and supplies to many who called Glen Haven their part-time or year-round home. By the time murky waters receded, the 2013 Colorado Floods claimed ten lives, forced more than 18,000 people from their homes, destroyed 1,882 structures, and cost taxpayers more than $4 billion, ranking it among the most devastating natural disasters in Colorado history (AAR 2015; FEMA 2015; Aguilar and Bunch 2015). While officials later lauded the multipronged communication and evacuation efforts that likely saved lives, little research has been conducted to determine how people in the most remote areas of the state, such as Glen Haven, actually learned of the emergency's severity and immediacy. By utilizing interviews and focus groups, this thesis builds on analyses of disaster evacuees' decision-making and communicative processes. Specifically, this thesis explores how Glen Haven residents relied on community-based social ties, lived experiences, and other warnings to learn of the need to take life-saving measures to survive the 2013 Colorado Floods. Findings bolster understandings of how residents make decisions to act in times of disaster. Many residents relied on an automated 911 telephone call to first learn about the serious dangers being posed by the flooding, and the Glen Haven Volunteer Fire Department proved to be instrumental in both first communicating the situation's urgency and facilitating a safe evacuation. Meanwhile, media messages about the event went generally unheard in the community, which was left to draw on its own network of social ties, yet news reports remained essential outside the immediately affected area. Building on these findings, I conclude this thesis with a series of suggestions related to the usage of 911 warning systems, the importance of volunteer first responders, and considerations required among media communicators. Results can then be applied to areas prone to floods, wildfires, hurricanes, or other disasters near and far. | |
| dc.format.medium | born digital | |
| dc.format.medium | masters theses | |
| dc.identifier | Pohl_colostate_0053N_14086.pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10217/181361 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Colorado State University. Libraries | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | 2000-2019 | |
| dc.rights | Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. | |
| dc.subject | evacuation | |
| dc.subject | natural disaster | |
| dc.subject | trauma | |
| dc.subject | flooding | |
| dc.subject | Colorado | |
| dc.subject | rural | |
| dc.title | Cut off in chaos: communication and life-saving action amid rising rural water during the 2013 Colorado Floods | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.rights.dpla | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Sociology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Colorado State University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
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