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Campus doubles as winter shelter
By Amy Woodward
awoodwa5@mscd.edu

Information obtained from the NOAA Illustration by Joe Nguyen • nguyejos@mscd.edu

Auraria Campus was transformed into a temporary Red Cross shelter for stranded motorists, travelers and others in need during the back-to-back blizzards that hit Denver last December.

“During both storms we received a call from the Denver Office of Emergency Management requesting that we open the emergency shelter,” said Heather Coogan, chief of police at Auraria.

As laid out in a signed agreement with the Red Cross, Auraria sometimes makes its buildings available to house people affected by storms, natural disasters and other emergencies. And with well over 100 people sheltered during each of the recent storms, Auraria’s empty buildings became much-needed safe havens. According to Coogan, more than 300 people were sheltered on campus during the storms, including 150 Amtrak travelers brought over from Union Station.

During the first blizzard, these passengers stayed in the Auraria Event Center. The Red Cross furnished supplies needed for the emergency – cots, blankets and food – and campus police assisted as needed, Coogan said. The blowing snow was so bad that at one point during the first storm the Red Cross had trouble transporting people to the campus, she said.

“The very large bus that brought the people to campus got stuck in the storm. It took my officers two hours to dig it out,” Coogan said.

During the second blizzard, the campus police received another call for assistance and ended up housing about 120 people at the King Center.

“This time the group of people came from the bus depot,” Coogan said, referring to the Greyhound terminal at 1055 19th St. “They were furnished with cots and blankets, and the Salvation Army provided food.”

There were no major problems on campus during either storm, but several minor situations kept Sgt. Greg Stall busy. In one memo, Stall reported that a pregnant woman staying in the King Center was experiencing pain and bleeding. The woman was later transported to Denver Health Medical Center.

Other reports by Stall indicated that several individuals had medical problems.

In Stall’s first memo, Officer Ken Olin and guard Randy Vialpando were mentioned with gratitude for their help. Olin and Vialpando spent nights checking in on the King Center’s unexpected residents.

“The people were very grateful for our help and the safety we provided,” Coogan said.