Abstract
On august 1, 1985, a flash flood devastated cheyenne, wyoming. Although the flood receded to less than bankfull in less than 3 hr, 12 people lost their lives and damages exceeded $65 million. Emergency operations were severely curtailed; officials were unable to immediately react; and essential services provided by hospitals, police, and fire departments were forced into abeyance. Significant flood hazard areas emerged where none were expected. From this disaster, many lessons were learned and recommendations emerged regarding flash floods and their related hazards. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1279, Hydrology and environmental design 1990.