1 minute read
Storm season — the good, bad and ugly
Getting too much of a good thing
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When it provides vibrant green grass, supports the growth of native wild owers and feeds our reservoirs, there is beauty in rain. But it also comes with a dark side as storms can wreak havoc and damage homes, vehicles and roadways.
is spring, parts of the Denver metro area saw record breaking amounts of rain along with a longer and more consistent rain pattern.
“It’s almost biblical in nature,” said Bryan Weimer, Arapahoe County director of public works and development.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Douglas, Arapahoe and Je erson counties have seen rainfall above average.
Over the past 129 years, Douglas County saw its fourth wettest May on record with 3.63 inches above normal, making it the 13th wettest year on record.
Arapahoe County saw its fth wettest May with 3.29 inches of rain above normal and Je erson County saw its 7th wettest May with 2.28 inches of rain above normal.
While some may have loved the gloomy days, listening to the sound of rain falling, for others, it posed an ongoing issue as well as citizen safety.
“Our goal is to work with our partners throughout the state to make sure that shelter is available and we transport individuals who need that shelter to that already-existing shelter,” Je Garcia, county attorney, said at the June 27 county commissioners meeting. “We are not going to create new shelters in Douglas County.” e conversations about shelter and a long-discussed potential restriction on camping in the county are intertwined because of recent court cases along the Front Range.
Commissioner Abe Laydon and others have referenced People v. Wiemold, a district court case out of Fort Collins where a judge ruled a man couldn’t be cited for violating a camping ban because there was no shelter available to him.
“It is important to note that a party
SEE HOMELESS, P10
