ABSTRACT
A series of tourist groups arrive at a fictitious motel in Estes Park, Colorado, on July 31, 1976. Sudden heavy rains cause a violent flash flood on the Big Thompson River during the early evening. While the motel owner notifies the occupants in each room of the potential threat, all process the information differently. Threat denial is the initial response by most. Some, however, like a mother with young children and a woman who uses a wheelchair, urge evacuation. As the floodwaters reach the motel, some escape to safe locations, but most perish as they try to flee in their automobiles. Wide sections of highway were washed away totally, so some rounded a curve and essentially drove right into the river. Linkages are made to scientific research on differential threat perceptions, the social factors that constrain them, varied evacuation responses, and specialized skills that permitted a few to survive. Children seen in a van that was floating down the river prior to becoming submerged, is the basis for the chapter title.
