FAQ’s Concerning Wheat Ridge’s recent storm

Will Wheat Ridge be declared a disaster zone?

• While the storm has been significant it does not rise to the level of a declaration of disaster based on state and federal guidelines.

• This storm did not exceed or impact Wheat Ridge’s ability to respond to the incident.

• The City is working with the Colorado Department of Emergency Management and Department of Local Affairs to identify possible dollars to recover our costs and possible reimbursement to citizens without insurance.

• Important to remind residents that personal insurance covers private properties.

How are people faring with the clean up?

• Overall, things are pretty good.  Clean up continues and we are starting to see roofs being repaired.

• I think it is important to be neighborly and if you know of any elderly citizens on your block that may need assistance to do what you can to assist them.

• There are still areas of the city that continue to be impacted by power outages.   

• It is the City’s understanding that Xcel plans to restore power to affected homes by 10 p.m. this evening. 

• According to Xcel Energy there are approximately 9,500 homes that are dark system wide.

• Based on citizen calls, the City is aware of general areas where the outages still exist including: west of Kipling between 26 and 38^th Avenue.

• It is important for citizens to contact Xcel Energy at their Emergency line 1(800)895-1999 and let Xcel know they do not have power.

• The Police Department will continue to conduct daily assessments of the affected area.

• Homeowners should continue to work with their insurance companies to as appropriate.

• The City continues to assess damage to City parks and rights-of-way.  The Clear Creek Trail is closed until further notice due to safety concerns and dangerous conditions on the trail.

• The City storm debris collection point is open through Sunday, July 26^th.   Hours are 7am to 8pm Monday-Thursday and 9am to 5pm Saturday-Sunday. For questions, please call the Parks and Recreation Department at 303-231-1307.

In these cash strapped times how big of a hit is the cost of all this clean up?

• The overall cost for cleanup is not known at this time.  We are continuing to work to assess damages.

• The City will incur costs for overtime for police officers and maintenance state as clean up efforts continue.

• Our primary focus, as it was yesterday, continues to be on the health, safety and welfare of citizens.

Did the tornado sirens work are they worth the investment?

• Yes and Yes!

• I would like to clarify that the early warning system is not solely used for tornadoes, but can be for a variety of emergency situations.

• Early warning system is one of several communications tools to notify citizens.

• Phase I covers only flood zone area of the city

• Warning system is meant for people that are outside – homes near a unit will likely hear the siren portion but likely not be able to understand the verbiage.

• During the storm period between 10:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., the communications center sent out 2 tornado messages.

Information courtesy of:

Mayor Jerry DiTullio
Wheat Ridge City Hall

Posted: under Wheat Ridge Community.
Tags: City of Wheat Ridge, emergency siren, Mayor Jerry DiTullio, Wheat Ridge, Wheat Ridge storm