Lost and Found: Stories from the Flood

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6min 01sec

Much was lost during last summer's flooding in Manitou, including many personal items. This past October, the interns at The Big Something--Colorado College students Mercedes Whitman, Patrick Lofgren, and Sarah Stockdale--went to Fountain Creek to rescue what they could from the banks. In November, the recovered items were displayed in a pop-up show at the Manitou Art Center, and those affected by the floods were invited to claim their belongings and share their stories. Many people attended the opening, several of whom even recognized themselves or their loved ones in the dirt-streaked photographs hanging there. The stories they told were powerful testaments to the feelings of loss, heartbreak, hope, and community felt by so many in the aftermath of the disaster. 

Mercedes, Patrick, and Sarah wove the interviews from the exhibit into a short audio piece about the flood and it's effects on the Manitou Springs community. They submitted the story to the Tim Gill Center For Public Media Citizen and Student Journalism contest, and were awarded first place in the College Audio/Video category. Listen to the piece above, and watch the slideshow that we ran in October featuring the artifacts that they found in Fountain Creek below!