However, a miracle was accomplished. All of the trailers were moved off the property; there was no property loss whatsoever to any of the tenants of the park. The miracle was only due to the cooperation and coordination of the Yuma County Sheriff's Department, under the leadership of Sheriff John Phipps, working with the Yuma County Disaster Chairman, Jerry Chapman, the Yuma County Search and Rescue Team and last, but not least, the United States Marines, who brought with them equipment that would be available to no one else and without their help, all would have been lost. The Red Cross was on the scene, keeping everyone's morale high and the wonderful friends and neighbors of Yuma pitched in and it was a wonderful experience, even though it was a terrible tragedy. 8. It is totally incomprehensible, that a river that is considered the most controlled river in the world, could run wild, inflicting such damage and misery. Secretary, D.L.R. Inc., dba Fox's Pierpoint Landing Chairman Udall, Members of the Committee, Iam Linda Burgess, Secretary of D.L.R. Incorporated, doing business as Fox's Pierpoint Landing, seven miles below the Parker Dam on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. Fox's is our pot of gold at the end of a very long rainbow. A rainbow that had its beginning north of here in the cold of Prudue Bay, Alaska. My husband Darrell, at the age of 37 was faced with the reality that he could no longer work in 100 below zero weather with a crippling arthritis condition. In order to insure our future and that of close friends, we began to look for property suitable for a R.V. Court for Snowbirds. February 1983, after much looking we flew to Arizona to make an offer to purchase a 19 year Bureau of Land Management lease. Over the next four months we would comply with all requests of the Bureau of Land Management, we submitted financial reports, credit information, $600.00 worth of resumes and a line of cre dit from a Bank. All this to help the Bureau of Land Congressional Committee Interior and Insular Affairs Colorado River Hearings Yuma, Arizona September 7, 1983 Statement of: Linda Burgess, Page 2 Management to become better acquainted with us. May 10, 1983 we drove 4,000 miles from Alaska and for two days we would have interviews with the Bureau of Land Management and Lawyers to help familarize ourselves with all of our obligations to the Bureau of Land Management. Not once during any correspondence with the Bureau of Land Management were we ever told that Fox's was part of a flood plain. That in fact our home, office warehouse and snackbar all existed within the flood plain. On May 26, 1983, we took possession of Fox's from Jerry Davis, the former leasee. Memorial Weekend proved to be better than expected with 2,500 people on the property. Everything looked good and our new R.V. spaces and bath house would be on schedule for September. to By June 1, 1983, the former owner Jerry Davis came us and told us to listen to the radio, we were about to have a "man-made controlled flood" decend on us. We had received no notice prior to this date. Fox's has sustained over 1/2 million dollars phys ical and economic loss as of this hearing. Everything we have obtained for a life time is gone, our homes in Alaska, our personal assets, and Congressional Committee Interior and Insular Affairs Colorado River Hearings September 7, 1983 Statement of: Linda Burgess, Page 3 Even now we are being told by the Bureau of Land Management that due to a mapping error, federal land on both sides of the River may have received flood insurance in error. That we would probably be covered this time, but as to whether we will be able to obtain future flood insurance is in question. Our backs are against the wall, our faces in the mud, our pot of gold is now fool's gold and we're the fool's. Had we been told out front about the flood plain by the Bureau of Land Management the sale of Fox's would have been in question. A question that never given the opportunity can never be answered. We ask this committee to enact legislation to restore our dignity, our livelyhood and our very existence to those of us on the Colorado River. I thank you for your time and would be pleased to answer any questions you may have. STATEMENT OF JOHN S. WINTER, MANAGER AND GENERAL PARTNER OF BLUEWATER LAGOON SUBDIVISION, SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1983, YUMA, ARIZONA. 1. Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, I am John S. Winter, General Manager and General Partner of a 1,081 lot subdivision known as Bluewater Lagoon. Our subdivision is on land leased from the Colorado River Indian Tribes for a term of 65 years, starting in 1967. The subject land is located, starting at the Arizona Highway 72 bridge at Parker, Arizona, north to within 300 yards of Headgate Rock Dam. 2. We have presented a book containing my own affidavit, property Lagoon wherein they ask your expeditious action re the Colorado 3. At the inception of Bluewater Lagoon the Bureau of Reclamation advised us by letter, attached herewith, of the "levi design" flood We did not ignore the Bureau of Reclamation and as a result of their advice, designed all of our building pad elevations to be at least 5 feet above the specified flood elevations. elevations. Our 1 of 4 |