Rorabaugh, Skyler

Abstract

As Executive Director of the Estes Valley Recreation and Parks District, Skyler Rorabaugh witnessed and responded to the area's 2013 floods. During the flood, Rorabaugh warned people away from dangerous public lands and campsites, and then he joined Parks and Rec employees in restoring vital infrastructure and services such as water, sewer, and electricity. Partnering with agencies such as the Town of Estes Park, FEMA, and church volunteer groups, the local community came together to recover from the disaster. According to Rorabaugh, the restoration and repair of public and semi-public recreational facilities was important for both economic and psychological reasons; local agencies needed the income for recovery, and locals “needed to relieve their stress, needed to get back to a sense of normalcy.” Rorabaugh's agency helped by locating recovery funds, assisting in community communications and organization during and after the event, and taking advantage of networking opportunities to save time and resources. Rorabaugh stressed the importance of establishing multiple means of backup communications and the greater Estes Park community's willingness to band together to pool resources after the flood.