Survivors of the Big Thompson Canyon Flood, Colorado

July 31, 1976

 

Memory Submitted by Michelle McNab

30 years already? Wow.

Well, 30 years ago, I was in a flood. I tell this to people and they smile and nod.

It is nice to see that there is going to be a rememberance.

I’m not sure what kind of information you would like, but I would like for my family members to be listed as participants and thankfully as survivors of the Big Thompson Canyon flood of 1976.

A little bit about my experience:

My grandparents owned a motel on the way up to Estes. Their names are Ethel Cox-Bond and John Bond. We had recently moved from Loveland to California and were back for a vacation and family business. I remember when the rain started. When it looked like it might get worse, we said goodbye to my grandparents and started down the canyon. There were several areas where water was pour off of the side of the rocks onto the road. We were in a small pinto hatchback. We got within sight of where the road washed out and were told to head back up the mountain. Although a lot of those details were fuzzy, I know we didn’t make it back to my grandparents motel. My father, Herb Warner, helped a police officer to guide people to higher spot, while my mother, sister and I eventually found our way to a bus (that I’ve since heard about on the program Storm Stories). My sister and I went out on the first dual propeller Army helecopter with a wounded lady. We were taken to Loveland High School and remained there until my parents finally joined us. My mother came the 2nd day and my father came the 3rd day.

My family members:

Herbert Warner - Father

JoAnne Warner – Mother

Michelle McNab (Warner) – Myself ~ 6 years old

Tiffiny Bardonner (Warner) – Sister ~ 1 years old

John Bond – Grandfather

Ethel Cox-Bond – Grandmother