Tribune Tri-Lakes 8-28-2013
Tri-Lakes
August 28, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
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Tri-Lakes Region, Monument, Gleneagle, Black Forest and Northern El Paso County • Volume 48, Issue 35
WATER WORLD
Members of The Classical Academy football team stroll through their heavily water-soaked field following an Aug. 22 rain and hail storm that blew through El Paso and Teller Counties. Courtesy photos
Rain and hail pound El Paso and Teller counties Flooding, golf ball-sized hail reported in parts of southern Colorado By Danny Summers
Dsummers@ourcoloradonews.com
J
im Stack grew up in Nebraska and experienced a variety of storms. But never in his 40-plus years had he experienced anything like what occurred on Aug. 22 when a ferocious rain and hail storm slammed parts of El Paso and Teller counties. “I’ve never seen that much rain at one time and I’ve never seen hail last as long as it did,” Stack said. At about 5:15 p.m., Stack arrived at The Classical Academy north campus to help coach football practice. He is a home inspector and roof inspector, as well as the offensive line coach for TCA. TCA is located on Stout Road, just west of Voyager Parkway - about a mile south of Northgate Boulevard. By the time Stack arrived at the school, dark storm clouds were brewing overhead with lighting and thunder several miles to the east and northeast. At that point, practice was still a go. But by 5:30 p.m., TCA head coach David Bervig made the call to move practice indoors. As players and coaches scrambled to put equipment in nearby sheds a heavy down poor began. “It was a hard rain followed by peasized hail,” Stack said. “The hail stopped after a little while, then it started raining again, and all of the sudden marble-sized hail came down. When I looked across the football field a few minutes later it was completely covered in white. “Things let up after about an hour, but the water in the surrounding areas was a POSTAL ADDRESS
More than 4 inches of rain and hail clogged area streets and flooded residential and business areas in Norther El Paso County Thursday. minimum 6 inches deep.” The relentless rain and hail storm pounded parts of El Paso and Teller counties and forced the closure of northbound Interstate 25. It also caused Highway 24 to close in both directions. “We got a lot of rain, but I didn’t see a lot of damage,” said Craig Fleischmann, who lives near Fox Run Park in unincorporated El Paso County. “Along Baptist Road the water was going over road. At my house it was flooding over the gutters.” It took Fleischmann two and a half hours to get home from his office in Denver, near Littleton. He took Highway 85 south and picked up the freeway in Castle Rock. From there the drive home got Water continues on Page 18
A retaining wall in The Classical Academy parking lot broke apart due to heavy rain and hail that hit El Paso and Teller counties on Aug. 22.
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