The recent floods in Colorado have devastated families, ruined homes and forever changed lives. The nation has viewed the photos of entire neighborhoods submerged underwater. Some families, like mine, have had close encounters with the high waters while other families watched the TV and news reports in horror. Regardless, this is a time where we as Coloradans need to come together and overcome this tragedy.
What began as flash flooding in Boulder has turned into a statewide catastrophe. The greatest number of people since Hurricane Katrina have had to be airlifted out to safety; at least seven people have died in the flooding with thousands more still missing. The tragedy is far from over.
Recovery begins with aid from the government. We need both state and federal aid to help us start to rebuild. Bridges and dams need rebuilding. There will have to be some aid to those families who have lost literally everything. Both Governor Hickenlooper and President Obama have already stated that aid will be coming our way, but that is just step one.
The real recovery will start with the bonds we share as Coloradans. We have to come together so that we can endure as a state. I have no doubts that we will prevail through these dark times. We have done it before. The fires in Colorado Springs and elsewhere in Colorado, the flooding in Manitou Springs and other natural disasters have all been combated against by a united Coloradan force.
The indomitable spirit of all Coloradans is unmatched in this country. We have a way of getting through the unthinkable where others may have long since lost their hope. Recovery will be slow, but the key is to continue pushing forward.
It will be much harder than it sounds though. While the material losses incurred by many during these floods will create great hardships in their lives, nothing will be as distressing as the loss of family and friends. With thousands still missing, the worst is possible, but the hope that these people will be found and reunited with their families is also quite plausible. To give up hope is to give up on life and that’s something that we cannot afford to do right now.
Each Coloradan has a responsibility to be there for those affected by the floods. Little things from helping a neighbor to large things like donating money will all go a long way to expedite the mending process. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Get out there and help clear the disaster or donate whatever money you can. As a state community, we will get through this.
To say Colorado will ever be the same after this is wrong, but that doesn’t mean that Colorado cannot rise from the ashes. Taking it a day at a time, Colorado and its people will persevere. Somewhere down the road, people will look at Colorado and be amazed with the stubbornness of its citizens who never give up, the links that communities will form and how far our recovery process will have come.
