DENVER — Fall is a distant memory in Colorado, now that the first November snowstorm has arrived — and doesn't want to leave.
The Eastern Plains is expected to take the brunt of this storm, with parts of Elbert and Lincoln counties anticipated to accumulate around three feet of snow by the time the storm is over. The National Weather Service calls that kind of snowfall "historic" for the area.
Eastern Plains
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Colorado 4x4 Rescue & Recovery is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization designed to help stranded vehicles statewide.
"We will be activated as part of a county's emergency resources system should they choose or need to go down that path," said Kimi McBryde, who has been with the organization since 2021. “These counties are incredibly well prepared and have the resources and plans and emergency operating guides for how to handle each situation, and so they may or may not activate us, depending on what their command staff and leadership see fit.”
McBryde said the organization is preparing overnight on Thursday to potentially deploy on Friday as a result of the storm.
“It's kind of a waiting game, but that's how it's supposed to work. And if the system is working, that's where we fit into the picture," said McBryde. “We're obviously keeping eyes on the Eastern Plains.”
On Forest Service roads, the organization can respond to calls for help, but county and street roads are a different story. Colorado 4x4 Rescue & Recovery must be activated by local authorities through the emergency management system in order to have the jurisdiction to go into Colorado counties and support the emergency response.
"Your best decision is to call 911, and we will be activated and get those requests via the local authorities and their dispatch center," McBryde explained.
Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery will likely not be deployed on Thursday evening, but that could change Friday morning. It depends on conditions and local leadership needs, according to McBryde.
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