The recovery issues are going to be very numerous and difficult in CO, since several mountain towns have been evacuated totally. With lack of basic, functional infrastructure, and with winter weather fast approaching, recovery is going to be very slow and difficult. The Diva would like to study the towns of Lyons and Estes Park, but funding for that work and the ability to travel there preclude that option for the time being. If there are readers and/or grad students in those locales who would like to help track the progress, please let me know.
Regarding the flooding, one account I read said that some places received rainfall that was twice their usual annual amount.
And this article raises questions about possible connection of the unusual rains with climate change: Colorado floods triggered by convergence of geography and climate, experts say. Some excerpts:
The torrent of water that gushed over and down the Rocky Mountains late last week resulted from a fateful confluence of geography and weather. While the deluge is unprecedented in the historic record, it may offer a window onto the new normal as the planet continues to warm.The exact role of global climate change in the deluge is uncertain, but it certainly played a part, according to climate, weather and policy experts.
As of Tuesday, more than 17 inches of rain had fallen since Sept. 12 in Boulder, Colo. The soaking, described as “biblical” by the National Weather Service, left at least eight people dead with hundreds more still missing and rendered untold millions of dollars in property damage.
Recovery Diva 
Please give us the URL for your blog. Some of us would like to see it.
Frankly, the whole “biblical” adjective bugs me. Not that I mind literary or religious references as a rule, but I think its weird to apply it to events like this. What’s the scale? It kind of implies wrath of God, over and above an “act of God,” and I don’t think the National Weather Services is really qualified to make that judgment. I remember during Hurricane Sandy there was a flap about the use of the term “enormity”, so maybe they wanted to avoid that. 🙂
I agree with you. And it surprising to hear the term from the NWS. It sounds like something a citizen would say to a reporter. There is no sense of scale for a”biblical” disaster.
Nice to have your peer support on my language-use rant! I do hope you do get a chance to do some studies over there. I lived in the area in the mid-80’s so I’ve been watching the flood news with horror and fascination. We just don’t seem well enough prepared for our weather conditions. I wrote a blog post about these matters this week, and gave a link to your site for more information about “all things related to disaster recovery”. Keep up the great work.