Elbert County News Press 1030

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October 30, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 9 | I S S UE 39 | 7 5 ¢

ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O

A publication of

These Teenange Mutant Ninja Horses (and human) won best homemade costume at the Oct. 25 Harvest Festival. From left, Cisco as Donatello with the purple bandana, Batman as Michelangelo with the orange bandana, Amber Neff as Raphael with the red bandana and Bilbo as Leonardo with the blue bandana. Photos by Rick Gustafson

Exercise preps for disaster Elbert County officials take on bad weather in emergency-response drill By Rick Gustafson

Special to Colorado Community Media

A sweet Saturday in Elizabeth Harvest fest brings out costumed pets, kids By Rick Gustafson

Special to Colorado Community Media

POSTAL ADDRESS

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS

When any event is held outdoors in the fall, there is always the risk that the elements will not cooperate. But that was not the case in Elizabeth last weekend. Warm autumn sunshine, a clear Coloradoblue sky, and temperatures in the 70s were just what the chamber of commerce ordered to welcome visitors to the Annual Harvest Street Festival in Elizabeth on Oct. 25. The day’s event began with pets and their owners gathering at Countryside Village Shopping Center for the annual Pet Costume Contest. Claudia Henning, owner of the Magic Dog Pet Store, has held the contest for 10 years, and she and her panel of judges chose winners in six categories, ranging from the most unusual to the scariest pet and owner costumes. Gift baskets stuffed with pet-friendly treats went to Harvest continues on Page 7

Dallyn Alvarado gets a temporary tattoo from Waldo, left, while visiting the Bikers Against Child Abuse tent at the festival.

(USPS 171-100)

OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US

P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY

Main Street was the place to be Oct. 25 for the annual Harvest Festival.

With the balmy fall weather in Colorado this year, it might be difficult to envision a severe winter storm knocking out power for days, stranding motorist in vehicles, and grounding rescue helicopters, but that was the scenario playing out in Elbert County on Oct. 20. While the rest of the county’s residents enjoyed temperatures in the 70s outside, the team inside the Elbert County Emergency Operations Center was battling heavy snow, subzero temperatures and 60 mph winds, creating whiteout conditions. The exercise, dubbed Operation Old Man Winters, was part of a planned emergency-response drill to test the county’s ability to handle a severe winter event designated by the National Weather Service as a storm with the potential for loss of life. First responders and officials from county and state agencies implemented the county’s Emergency Operations Plan as the simulation progressed. Brandon Linderlink, the director of Elbert County Emergency Management, explained the process. “As an incident grows, each municipality reaches its limit to provide for public safety. The municipalities must declare to the county. If the county reaches its limit or that possibility appears imminent, the county then reaches out for help from the state.” Once a county “declares,” state help can range from simply redirecting snowplows to mobilizing the Colorado Army National Guard. Other assistance can include funding to pay for cleanup following a storm. Linderlink cites last year’s late-summer floods in Boulder as an example of the State of Colorado coming to the aid of a county. Not everything during the drill went according to plan. The crash of an aging communications network hampered the team’s ability to respond to simulated calls for help, and the operations team turned to ham radio operators for communication. In his comments to the Board of County Commissioners at its biweekly meeting Oct. 23, Ed Ehmann, Elbert County manager, said the team worked well together and adapted to the technology challenges. Ehmann also assured the commissioners that a three-year plan was already in place to update and replace ageing equipment. Linderlink agreed with Ehmann’s assessment of the exercise and added, “There is always some kind of gap. We’ll look at how to build the technology so it won’t fail; and continue to increase the skills of the individuals sitting at the table.” Linerlink continually emphasizes citizen preparedness in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. He encourages every household to maintain a basic disaster kit with at least 72 hours of supplies. A visit to the website Ready.gov can provide guidance for items that should be included in a kit. In addition, he recommends signing up for Code Red, the county’s reverse 911 service that “keeps residents and businesses informed of emergencies and other timesensitive information.”


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