TIL a flash flood in Mesa Verde last week almost washed away an unexcavated midden site.

The crew had to drop everything and move 50 tons of backfill dirt by hand in 90-degree heat to build a barrier before the next rain hit, and we're still assessing the damage to the lower layers. Has anyone else had to do emergency salvage work in a park that fast?

4 comments

4 Comments

jessicap8221d ago

Honestly, moving 50 tons by hand in that heat sounds brutal. We had a similar scare with a creek rising near a survey site once. Tbh, the only thing that saved us was pre-staging sandbags and plastic sheeting a mile up the road after the first weather alert. Still had to hustle, but having that stuff close by cut our setup time in half.

henryt1821d ago

Read an article about a crew that kept a basic flood kit in a locked box at all their sites near water. Just some plastic, bags, and a shovel, but it meant they could react before calling for bigger gear. Seems like the real trick is accepting that small problems become big ones fast if you wait. Pre-staging even a little bit makes the difference between a long night and a total loss.

derekhunt21d ago

That pre-staging idea is smart. Our crew learned the hard way to keep a few rolls of silt fence and a small tractor at the main shop after a gully washer nearly took out a test unit.

harperp2421d ago

Right? Why do we always learn this stuff the hard way. Had a site turn into a mud pit overnight once, now we keep a pallet of gravel on a trailer ready to go.