Denver Catholic

DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 FRONT RANGE FLOOD I 9 collects when it rains. "It's still not over," she said. "My life still isn't back to nor- mal. I don't even feel like the same person." The program's Greeley ware- house manager Dave Bejarano, 62, said volunteers are there to help families recover and give hope. "He hasn't left you. He'll nev- er forsake you," Bejarano said about God to families who felt abandoned. "I like to remind people that God is always out there." Enita Kearns-Hout, the re- gional director of Catholic Charities in Weld County, said it's amazing to watch the com- munity collaborate to help the poorest of the poor hit by the fl ood. Families like the Coronas had few options after their mo- bile home near Riverside Park in Greeley was soaked. They bought a home high on a hill nearby and have started over. "It was a diffi cult time and it has been a diffi cult time," said Khennya Corona, 20, who at- tends Our Lady of Peace Church in Greeley with her parents and sister. "You go back to what you remember and you still experi- ence it like it happened yester- day. We think every single day we'll remember it." Nissa LaPoint: 303-715-3138; nissa.lapoint@archden.org; www. twitter.com/DCRegisterNissa NOVEMBER 2013 Charities awarded $1.8 million grant from Catholic Charities USA that funds staff support, counseling, fi nancial support and long-term case management through 2016. DECEMBER 2013 JANUARY 2014 Efforts transition from fl ood re- sponse to fl ood recovery as Char- ities hires three case managers and gets involved in Long Term Recovery groups in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties. MAY 2014 Charities awarded state grant from Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for nearly $1.9 million to support case management in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Clear Creek, El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, Logan, Morgan and Weld counties through September 2015. SEPTEMBER 2014 In the last year, Charities has disbursed about $500,000 in fi nancial support, and contin- ues to aid recovery efforts with 15 case managers, three case management supervisors, fi ve administrative employees and two construction managers. response to 2013 Front Range fl ooding BY THE NUMBERS 2013 Front Range Flood 17 14 14 Inches of rain 4 Evans 5 Greeley Allenspark (St. Malo) Aurora Boulder Residents evacuated: 18,147 Confi rmed deaths: 9 Miles of road covered in water: 654 State highway bridges destroyed: 30 Counties declared disaster areas: 24 Homes damaged: 18,105 1,621 Homes destroyed: PHOTO PROVIDED Corona's mobile home in Greeley was among one of The family has since moved to a new home. PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR JOE MONTEZ, a Vietnam veteran, recalls when his family's prop- erty in La Salle was inundated with Platte River fl ood waters. PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR JENNICA QUESENBERRY and her son Lex stand outside their remodeled home in Evans.

• Cover