[updated 2-26-2024] Boulder County has opened a new office called the Flood Rebuilding & Permit Information Center to help residents of unincorporated Boulder County with "one-stop shopping" for information and resources. This newly-formed division of the county government combines personnel from Land Use, Building Safety and Inspection Services, Transportation, and Public Health departments under one roof to offer more convenient assistance to those in the process of rebuilding. Here personnel inform county residents about new site and structure requirements including surface drainage and culverts, wells and wastewater, and driveways and private bridges. Updated aerial views of the flood-affected topography enable planning staff to help evaluate an individual site for the best recommendations now that it is known what will happen in the event of another flood.
Municipalities with their own building departments in the county have their own offices that residents of cities and towns should consult with.
Information specific to the Boulder area may not be specifically relevant to all readers, but it is interesting to view as a case study of what resources you might find in your area if a natural disaster occurs.
Boulder County Floodplain Information
City of Boulder Guide to Flooding
There are many detailed sources of information available online from government and non-profit agencies on how to survive and then deal with the aftermath of natural or manmade disasters. From how to prepare supplies for an impending event to the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to use while cleaning mold out of a flooded building, dozens of relevant topics are covered in the following links.
Since some of the information you find on one site may be slightly contradictory to that found on another site, I would recommend using such information as a general reference while deferring to local standards. Specific information on clean up, disposal, and rebuilding procedures provided by your state, county, or municipality should be used as the tiebreaker, depending on whose jurisdiction a specific property address falls within.
There are more links within these links and some of them refer back to one another but I have listed the most relevant topics so you can use this page as a jumping off point for each topic and return to this page so you don't get lost layers deep within the links.
Note: Bold links contain the most comprehensive or valuable information.
State of Colorado Resources
Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Flood Resources
CDPHE Flood Recovery Guidance Document
American Red Cross
Returning Home after a Hurricane or Flood
Disaster Prepardness & Repair of Your Home
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
What to Do With Your Private Well After a Flood?
Septic Systems - What to Do after the Flood?
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
National Center for Healthy Housing
A Field Guide for Clean-Up of Flooded Homes
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Disaster Site Worker Procedures
Keep checking back for more coverage. Requirements of contractors that have been amended and even suspended by local and national building officials during this state of disaster are next followed by the account of one man's flooded workshop and what we learned about salvaging power tools and equipment. Also coming are reports on practical concerns to help contractors get on site and get to work such as dealing with roadblocks, insurance companies, and zoning regulations that may be subject to change due to the natural disaster.
This is the eighth in a series of reports intended to help inform both the victims of natural disasters as well as the contractors they look to in these times of crisis.
