Thousands evacuated from Colorado flooding, ‘largest storm’ in state’s history says Gov John Hickenlooper
The National Guard is evacuating a Colorado town cut off by raging floodwaters as the rain still falls.
Boulder and nearby Eldorado Springs are struggling as people are reportedly cut off by flooding in some communities and Denver residents have been warned to stay off of flooded streets.
National Guardsmen respond to floods in Boulder County, Colo., Sept.12, 2013. The Guard is working with local agencies to help people in the area affected by the flooding by evacuating people using high-clearance vehicles. (Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. Joseph K. VonNida/Released)
Kari Bowen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the rains should slow on Friday, but intermittent showers may bring up to an inch of rain to hard-hit Boulder and Larimer counties on Friday as the bulk of the rainfall moved east.
“We’re still expecting some flooding to occur, but not quite as bad as the last couple of days in terms of the amount of rain that we’ve been getting,” she said.
National Guard troops were using trucks to evacuate the remote town of Lyons, north of Boulder, Mike Banuelos, reported a spokesman for the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center.
The town of 1,600 people was virtually cut off when floodwaters washed out U.S. Route 36, and residents have been without water and power for 48 hours, he said.
“It’s a pretty dangerous situation,” he said.
Governor John Hickenlooper said evacuations were the highest priority.
“This water is filled with debris and sand,” Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said during a Friday morning news conference. “It’s almost like liquid cement.”
“It’s got to be the largest storm that I can imagine in the state’s history,” he told a televised news conference.
Boulder County spokesman James Burrus said 17 people were unaccounted for Friday, and officials planned to publicly release the names later.
“Unaccounted for doesn’t mean missing. It means we haven’t heard back from them,” he said.
President Barack Obama approved a federal disaster assistance request, which will release funds to help with emergency protection.
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