As I write this, I’m thinking it was exactly one week ago today the residents of Northern Colorado were just beginning to grasp the severity of the 500 year flood that struck our beautiful state.  The devastation was and still is heart wrenching.

Last Sunday afternoon and the days after, thousands of individuals who had been evacuated were finding out whether or not their homes still stood safely, many finding them gone all together.  Unbelievable.  I was fortunate that my own home was unharmed, although many bridges and roads surrounding me were flooded or washed out.  And many people I know were displaced, some losing all their belongings.  I know of two young sisters who both lived in Lyons, who are are now living at home with their parents, one of them lost her entire home.  Another sister lost the entire contents of her home as she was moving into a new house.  These stories are repeated again and again from Estes Park to Evans.  Each person or family preparing to rebuild their lives.

During times like this it’s incredible to watch communities unite and support their residents, their neighbors.  The town of Lyons was hit exceptionally hard – and the town is not expected to even be livable for 4-6 months.  All of these town residents are in need of help.  Estes Park was similarly damaged, although the town is up and functioning again where possible.  Other small mountain towns simply no longer exist – Drake, Glen Haven, Jamestown.  What an incredible challenge for the residents, but their strength has been nothing short of empowering, as they work with their neighbors and vow to rebuild these communities.  Then the larger surrounding cities of Loveland, Fort Collins, Longmont, Greeley, Boulder – have all stepped up to help not only their own affected residents, but the residents of surrounding towns.

Colorado is very strong and the people who live here are simply amazing.  If you have been affected, my heart goes out to you.  If you have a reverse mortgage on a home that has been damaged or is destroyed, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions.  I’m here to help.  Phone: (970) 646-8908

If you would like to volunteer your time or make donations, or are in need of help, here is a great resource offering a variety of options: http://mycommunityfoundationnc.org/flood

Jan Jordan is a Reverse Mortgage Specialist serving the Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and Front Range areas of Colorado as well as Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming.