MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — When Kenna Peterson started at the bottom of the Manitou Springs Incline Wednesday morning, the sun was shining and the skies were blue. All of that changed in an instant as she neared the end of her descent in the afternoon.
"It was sunny the whole way up," Peterson described her hike up the more than 2,700 steps.
Peterson had checked the forecast before starting her hike, and she says she had reason to believe storms wouldn't hit the area until 4 p.m., but the rain started falling much sooner as she was nearing the base of the infamous Incline.
"It starts raining, and we just thought, that feels kind of nice, and then it starts hailing, and then we get to the bottom of the trail, but we have to run to the shuttle so we just run because it starts dumping on us," Peterson said. "We are soaking wet by the time we get to the shuttle bus and thankfully, we're at the end and we can shelter."
Peterson added that as she looked up the Incline, people were still hiking up not looking for shelter despite the sudden change in weather. She added the drive home wasn't any easier.
"I don't even know that freeway it was," Peterson recalled. "I was questioning if I should just stop and wait for the rain to stop, or just keep going, because it was coming down that road pretty heavily."
A flash flood warning was issued at about 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday and was in effect until 5:30 p.m. as rushing water filled streets and backyards. The owner of Mythical Bird Boutique, Clarice Backus, joined others at the Manitou Arts Center in stepping outside and watching the streets flood as sirens were going off.
"I have a beautiful space inside the 'MAC,' the Manitou Arts Center, where there's a window and it overlooks the parking lot," Backus said. "I could hear the hail start clanging on the trash cans outside in the parking lot, and we all just huddled around and looked outside the window and saw it come down. And it really didn't stop."
Backus had just moved to Manitou Springs in September and opened her shop up June 6, she has heard that flooding is common in the small city, but this was her first time experiencing it firsthand.
"I have been surprised at how quickly.... when you live here... everyone has to tell you where they were when the flood happened," Backus as she described what it was like as she heard the sirens and message to move to higher ground. "So I knew, flooding is possible. And, I wish I had been a little bit more prepared in terms of like.., where do I go? And I was grateful to be around a bunch of seasoned residents at the Manitou Art Center, and they knew exactly what to do."
Thankfully, Backus' retro and vintage boutique was at higher ground and wasn't impacted as some nearby campsites were evacuated. But her focus wasn't on the shop.
"I was thinking about my dog here at home..." Backus said. "I tend to think about what other people you care about might be thinking and feeling in the moment, kind of more than the product."
Backus did what many others did on Wednesday and went to the City of Manitou Springs website for information on what to do during a flood. However, a "Flooding Preparedness" page for the City appeared to be a broken link as the website displays a "Page Not Found" message. The issued reamined Thursday morning. News5 reached out to a city spokesperson Wednesday to see if there is a better resource for residents when it comes to preparing for a flood in the area, when a response is received this article will be updated.
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