Denver Catholic

Colorado's Front Range Flood 2013: Six months later BY JULIE FILBY Last September, dark skies dumped 20 inches of rain when a front stalled over northern Colorado Sept. 9 and persisted for nearly a week. The down- pour resulted in catastrophic flooding that took lives, dis- placed tens of thousands and damaged more than 17,000 structures over 20,000 square miles. The Denver Archdiocese sus- tained more than $2 million in damage to 31 structures includ- ing 26 churches, four schools and a senior housing complex. Skies seem brighter six months later as communities have come together to heal and re- cover. In the archdiocese, it is estimated about 95 percent of flood clean-up and repairs have been completed. "We've been turning the crank on this and they're all going to be finished soon," according to Walt Wostenberg of the archdi- ocese's Office of Construction. "(The majority) were finished mid-March." Senior complex hit hardest The property with the most damage, dollar-wise, was Dunn Memorial Senior Housing at 4805 Baseline Road in Boulder, owned by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Foundation and managed by Archdiocesan Housing. The entire one-story com- plex of 14 one-bedroom units was flooded with 3- to 4-feet of sewer water, according to Nan- cy Cuprisin, director of hous- ing and management services for Archdiocesan Housing. Residents have been living tem- porarily with family, friends or in short-term rentals during the mitigation and repairs estimat- ed at $800,000. "We had to go in and do tre- mendous amounts of miti- gation, then start restoration work," explained Wostenberg, commending "the outstand- ing work" of contactor Palace Construction. "Anything that could soak up water—wood, flooring, carpet, doors—had to go," Cuprisin said. "Anything metal could be cleaned and sanitized." The end product has resulted in improvements for the resi- dents, who range from mid-50s to 80s, such as updated décor, vinyl plank flooring, new car- pet, brighter paint and window coverings, and an upgraded computer room in the common area. "Three people have moved back in," Cuprisin said, adding that all residents will be back in their homes within the week. They plan to celebrate with an open house once settled. Rainbow over Boulder parish Though Boulder County was the worst of the 17 counties hit, Sacred Heart of Mary Church at 6739 S. Boulder Road initially thought they had weathered the storm. After the first few days of rain, business manager Brenda Stone was contacted by the arch- diocese's Risk Management Of- fice wondering why they hadn't heard from her. "I said so far not much had happened to make a claim," INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Guest Column: Art ...........................4 World/Nation.....................................6 Puzzle Page ......................................13 Nun of the Above quiz ...................13 Bulletin Board ................................. 14 Service Directory ...................... 14-15 APRIL 2, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 13 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PEOPLE PAGE 10 PAGE 2 Mountain priest gets new post at chancery PHOTO BY RYAN MCVAY/ DIGITAL VISION-GETTY Do you know how to protect your child? YOUTH FILM PAGE 3 PAGE 3 Ancient pilgrimage route 'a Catholic gift to the world' Girls spend week seeing needs of others and of the world See Storm, Page 9 PHOTO BY AUSTIN ONTIVEROS/DCR HUNDREDS of people surround the hearse carrying Theatine Father Tomás Fraile at St. Cajetan Parish in west Denver as it prepares to depart for the cemetery March 26. Some 3,100 faithful attended his funeral Mass to pay their respects and express their love and gratitude for the priest's ministry. Read the story on Page 7. Loving farewell for Father Fraile Shelters rebuilt after the storm

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