Summer 2007

Severe Weather:  Effects Linger into Spring

By D. Nick Potter

SIDEBAR: Goat rancher struggles to survive

SIDEBAR: Housebound in a blizzard

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The blizzard of 2006, as it has been dubbed by locals in the Lower Arkansas Valley, was a disaster that Southeastern Colorado will be recovering from for years. In its wake were 10, 000 head of dead cattle, extraordinary rescues, and stories that make a person realize the power of nature.

Residents of Otero, Baca, and Prowers Counties remember storm as the Blizzard of 2006. It began December 28 and brought icy conditions and 70 mph winds. It continued to cause devastation in the community throughout February.

The storm began as a calm snow bringing just the right setting for Christmas. At the end of it all the storm brought 72 inches to Prowers County, one of the counties that bore its brunt. Fifteen-foot snow drifts covered homes, paralyzing residence in the area.

The storm was coupled with unseasonably cold temperatures breaking a record with more than 40 days of sub-freezing temperatures.

Hundreds of Colorado National Guardsmen and emergency workers responded, adding to the heroic efforts of the ranchers and farmers of the area trying to save their livelihood.

Many residents of the Lower Arkansas Valley found themselves without electricity for more than eight days. Ranchers could not help their stranded livestock for close to a week. Tractors stalled in the snow 100 yards away from cattle were a common scene in Southeastern Colorado.

Many animals have been lost; after much of the snow has melted, 10,000 head of cattle were found dead. The cattle that did live through the first part of the storm were severely starved and losing weight because their pastures were buried in shallow spots under 2 feet of snow. Many calves were being stillborn, and those that survived birth in the sub-freezing temperatures died within hours of trying to survive.

After the shock of the devastation caused by the snow storm, many ranchers began the repair process. Tractors began roaring, cattle again roamed the open prairie, and farmers had to deal with a muddy mess caused by the storm.

Local governments began to melt their annual budgets by just trying to keep their roads open. County roads were like mountain passes with snow piled 16 feet on both sides where normally miles of prairie could be seen. Dirt roads turned into topographical maps, with two-foot-deep ruts and melting snow outlining the road. Dirt roads overflowed onto paved, coating paved roads with a veneer of dirt. Mud puddles made feeding the surviving cattle and burying the dead livestock difficult, making recovery easier said than done.

Little federal aid has been offered in relief of these ranchers. In December the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the area a national disaster area; however, this status will only reimburse local governments for 48 hours of expenses. This seems like a small drop of water in the financial buckets of these counties, most of which are accruing huge costs everyday.

In February the USDA denied disaster relief. This decision was reached because the counties losses did not equal 30 percent of production; however, the UDA has approved low-cost loans on a case-by-case basis for physical losses.

Financial aid was also offered in the form of a benefit concert. Singer Song writer Michael Martin Murphy performed at the Colorado State Fair Events Center benefiting farmers and ranchers affected by the winter storm. Nearly 320,000 packed the concert hall, raising more than $680,000 for the farmers and ranchers and to establish an agricultural disaster relief fund.

The clean up from this disastrous storm will take years. These communities will be repairing their fences, roads, and farms while livestock counts begin to go back to normal, allowing the local economy to mend itself.