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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPROCLAMATION Emergency Response Efforts During the 2020 WildfiresQEtc.park,Qlolorabo a clamatton WHEREAS,one year ago,Northern Colorado faced a series of severe wildfires —including the Cameron Peak Fire — forcing neighboring communities into evacuations and threatening homes and structures;and WHEREAS,On October 21 and 22,2020,the East Troublesome Fire moved rapidly into the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park and jumped the Continental Divide advancing toward Estes Park;and ‘WHEREAS,local emergency planners initiated the Town’s first-ever wide-scale evacuation of thousands of residents,who gathered their loved ones,pets and belongings,to seek safety in regional shelter locations;and WHEREAS,by October 24,2020,a mandatory evacuation order was expanded to include the entire Estes Valley,as emergency personnel prepared for a worst-case scenario of flames advancing into local neighborhoods;and ‘WHEREAS,critical management of the fire and emergency planning was handled professionally and collaboratively by an essential network of firefighting agencies;law enforcement,first responders,medical staff,and public information teams;along with a number of essential workers who remained in Estes Park to provide lodging and vital needs for emergency personnel;and WHEREAS,evacuee and shelter-site needs were coordinated,with safety protocols of the Covid-19 pandemic,through the Red Cross,the United Way,Larimer County, Crossroads Ministry,many local businesses,and with generous public and private contributions;and WHEREAS,by the weekend of October 24 and 25,2020,fog,freezing temperatures and a snowstorm provided grateful relief in calming the fire’s advance,and evacuations were eased and subsequently lifted in the days which followed. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Town of Estes Park,do hereby recognize the EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORTS DURING THE 2020 WILDFIRES And,upon this one-year remembrance,the Board expresses its deepest gratitude to all who guided and assisted the emergency response and to all residents who cooperated in evacuation efforts.Additionally recognizing the crucial importance of emergency preparedness and wildfire mitigation. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused this seat to be affixed. /fZ WdyKoenig,Mayor Attest: ______ November 9,2021