Part 2: Property Damage

Property Damage Data Sheet

 

Property Damages

Information for this section can be obtained from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) inspectors (damage survey reports), or from Colorado Office of Emergency Management and/or Boulder Emergency Preparedness (Sheriff's Dept.) employees. The investigation applies to major public structures and, if there is research time available, private residences within the Boulder Creek floodplain. The interviews should be conducted with officials in charge of public property damage assessment, namely the agencies listed above.

Field workers should take a camera loaded with black and white print film with them during their investigations. This should be used to take pictures showing property damages resulting from flooding. Where possible, the "after" pictures taken should replicate the perspective of the before images of floodplain structures (in The Boulder Creek Flood Notebook).

If there is time, interviews for personal residences may be combined with the research on warning and response system evaluation. See Sheet G and the descriptive cover for details.

Part 1: Locations

The sites to be included fall into four categories: municipal, business, University and residential.

A. Municipal sites:

The public building sites that you investigate should include:

  • Boulder Municipal Building ("City Hall"), consisting of the original building and the 1962 addition.
    1777 Broadway (SW corner, Broadway and Canyon)
  • Boulder Public Library (main branch), original building and the 1972 addition.
    1000 Canyon
  • Boulder Public Library, 1991 addition.
    11th and Arapahoe
  • Boulder High School
    1604 Arapahoe
  • (Proposed) Civic Park Site
    between 13th and 14th / between Canyon and Arapahoe (including Atrium Building - SE corner, 13th and Canyon - and the Tajik Chaikona, Dushanbe Teahouse)
  • Park Central Building
    1739 Broadway (at Arapahoe)
  • New Britain Building
    1101 Arapahoe
  • Justice Center
    6th, between Arapahoe and Canyon

B. Business sites:

  • Clarion / Harvest House Hotel
    1345 28th Street
  • Safeway (and other Arapahoe Village stores)
    2798 Arapahoe
  • La Estrellita (or other business in this location)
    1718 Broadway
  • Mustard's Last Stand
    1719 Broadway
  • Alfalfa's
    1651 Broadway
  • Conoco
    1201 Arapahoe
  • Total Petroleum
    1704 Arapahoe
  • Naropa Institute
    2130 Arapahoe

C. University sites:

  • University of Colorado College Inn
    1729 Athens
  • Faculty-Staff Court
    18th and Athens
  • Athens Court
    1951 Grandview
  • Marine Court
    1350 20th
  • Newton Court
    1475 Folsom, 2500 Arapahoe
  • Smiley Court
    1300 30th
  • Colorado Court
    3333 Colorado

D. Residential sites:

  • Gold Run Condominiums
    2902 Shadow Creek Dr.

Other residential sites to be designated by the coordinator, depending upon the specific impacts of the flood event.

 

 

Part 2: Property Damage Data Sheet (see Data Sheet)

Using the attached interview sheet, collect the following data for property damage which occurred during the Boulder flood:

  1. Site or owner's(') name(s):
  2. Site address:
  3. Damage assessor's name and affiliation (choose from the following, using the appropriate letter):
    a- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
    b- Colorado Office of Emergency Management
    c- Boulder County Office of Emergency Management
    d- Other (specify)
  4. Land use category (choose from the following, using the appropriate letter):
    a- single-family residential
    b- multi-family residential
    c- mobile residential
    d- office commercial
    e- retail commercial
    f- industrial
    g- public and institutional
    h- parks and recreation
  5. Observed property damage. Choose from the following, using the appropriate letter, and indicate whether damage was total or partial (use percentage destroyed). More than one choice may apply.
    a- basement flooded
    b- weakened foundation
    c- weakened walls
    d- doors or windows pushed in
    e- exterior walls or siding damaged
    f- interior walls damaged
    g- carpeting
    h- furniture
    i- records, files, data
    j- appliances
    k- computer equipment
    l- clothing or personal items
    m- automobile(s)
    n- recreational equipment
    o- heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems
    p- water pumps, heaters or (building) purifiers
    q- plumbing or sewage system
    r- electrical system
    s- gas supply system
    t- other (specify)
  6. Estimated monetary value of loss or damage (choose from the following, using the appropriate letter):
    a- $ 0 to 999
    b- $ 1,000 to 4,999
    c- $ 5,000 to 9,999
    d- $ 10,000 to 19,999
    e- $ 20,000 to 49,999
    f- $ 50,000 to 99,999
    g- $ 100,000 to 199,999
    h- $ 200,000 to 499,999
    i- $ 500,000 to 749,999
    j- $ 750,000 to 999,999
    k- $ 1,000,000 and more
  7. Estimated time to complete repairs (choose from the following, using the appropriate letter):
    a- 1 to 3 days
    b- 4 to 6 days
    c- 1 week
    d- 2 weeks
    e- 3 weeks
    f- 1 month
    g- 2 to 3 months
    h- 4 to 6 months
    i- 6 months to 1 year
    j- 1 to 2 years
    k- more than 2 years
  8. Did the property owner(s) have flood insurance?
  9. What floodproofing measures (if any) had been applied to the building before the flood. Choose from the following, using the appropriate letters. More than one choice may apply. Indicate to what extent the measures adopted were effective ("yes", "no", "partially").
    a- sealant applied to walls to control seepage
    b- drainage improvements
    c- sewer closures
    d- "mini" floodwalls around ground-level doors and/or windows
    e- drop-in closures for doors and windows
    f- windows with sealed panes
    g- living quarters and important possessions located on second floor or above
    h- fuse protection
    i- raised floor level (design feature)
    j- movable fixtures on lower levels (e.g., on wheels)
    k- structure orientation (e.g., parallel to floodwater direction - design feature)
    l- screens to protect windows/openings from floating debris
    m- exterior furnishings anchored
    n- plastic or grease sealing on mechanical equipment
    o- portable sump pump
  10. What depth did flood waters reach on the structure? (If only basement flooding occurred, indicate the depth of floodwater in the basement.)

When writing your summary report, keep the following questions in mind (using the data collected above):

- How many structures required major capital investment to repair, but the original structure was sound? Were the owners capable of such investment?

-How many structures required only cosmetic repairs to make them habitable?

- What kinds of damages were the fastest, easiest, and least expensive to repair? Which were the slowest, hardest, and most expensive to repair?

- How did structures that had been "flood-proofed" fare in comparison to others? Which "flood-proofing" measures appeared most effective and under which circumstances?

- What were citizens' or officials' motivation to flood-proof buildings in the floodplain?

In addition, consider the following questions:

- Where did the money for rebuilding come from (what sources)?

- What was the estimated cost of damage to public buildings in the floodplain? How costly was this to the Boulder

tax-payer? To Colorado tax-payers? From a national accounting stance?

- How many buildings were insured? Did insurance officials represent private commercial companies, or were they from the federal government (National Flood Insurance)?

- What were citizens' or officials' motivation to insure buildings in the floodplain?

- How was the damage assessment information used?