population-we™: Estes Park Honeymooner Reminisces on Flooding Heartache

The Brown's on our Estes Park honeymoon.

The “Forgotten” Marriott Building. Interesting how this fact has been left out of all the reporting regarding the alleged bad PR move at a San Francisco Marriott Hotel recently. A Twitter user (who I chose to remain nameless) posted a photo taken at a San Diego Marriott Mission Valley hotel saying: "In remembrance of those we lost on 9/11 the hotel will provide complimentary coffee and mini muffins from 8:45-9:15 a.m." A single Tweet about the offering turned a commemorative act into a PR nightmare for Marriott. The sad reality is if there is one company who can bring light to the impact of 9/11--it is Marriott. Guests and members of the Marriott family were lost on 9/11 in New York City’s 3 World Trade Center. Until this date, they still do not know the total number of deaths. Marriott even started a foundation to help in the healing process for the survivors of 3 World Trade Center--September 11 Survivors of Three World Trade Center. I think Marriott’s PR team missed an opportunity here to shed light on the nonprofit. I think; however, it is more unfortunate that journalists and bloggers forgot this very fact. I have dear friends who stayed at the Marriott Hotel located at 3 World Trade Center on their honeymoon before the building was lost. My friends have very fond memories of their stay and will never forget the people they encountered as well as Marriott World Trade Center.

Our honeymoon destination was not blown up by a terrorist attack but washed away by Mother Nature. Similar to John and Michelle losing 3 World Trade Center The Brown’s are filling a loss, too. Heavy rains caused Colorado flooding in Larimer, Weld, Boulder, and Jefferson counties. Glued to the television and computer monitor watching the town that we honeymooned--all the emotions came flooding back. The cabin we stayed out on Fall River Road in Estes Park Colorado is gone! Learning this news, I immediately reached out on social media. Shown below on Google+ I wrote: “Brian & I are so saddened by this video of Estes Park because we spent our honeymoon at a cabin on the edge of town some 19 years ago. Prayers go out to all the two and four-legged residents! #EstesParkFlooding” On Facebook I had a similar message, and there I learned of countless friends and relatives who also spent their honeymoons at Estes Park. Given the outpouring of comments time and time again; I was reminded how truly a romantic and tranquil a place this special town in the Rocky Mountains provided to so many other honeymooners.

Watch another mind-numbing Great Estes Park Flood of 2013 video. At the time I wrote this post on Sunday evening officials reported 1,000 unaccounted for in the Colorado flood. Please help the residents of Estes Park and this honeymoon destination spot by giving to the American Red Cross. To help people affected by this flooding disaster, population-we™ readers can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations may also be made by visiting ColoradoRedCross.org.

In short, Estes Park will never be forgotten by The Brown's and countless other honeymooners.

(Editor's note: Go orange! The entire month of September all population-we™ posts will be written in orange to aid No Kid Hungry's effort to bring attention to their nonprofit's cause and help end childhood hunger in the U.S. Read more about going orange at our post on Help End Childhood Hunger for No Kid Hungry.)

-population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown

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