Six Dead, Hundreds Unaccounted for in Colorado Floods

By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

September 16,2013; 9:22PM,EDT

 

 

As many as six people are reported dead after historic flooding in Colorado.
At least 482 people remained unaccounted for in Larimer County, Colo., the county's sheriff Twitter feed announced Sunday morning. In Boulder County, there were 431 entries on the county's unaccounted-for list at 9 a.m., local time, but they were reduced to 212 entries by 3 p.m., representing 326 people, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.
At least one person was killed in a collapsed home due to the flooding. Another life was taken on the 200 block of Linden in Boulder, Boulder Emergency Management officials reported. A third person was found dead in Fountain Creek, Colorado Springs police said. The fourth person died in Boulder, authorities told The Associated Press.
Two people are presumed dead after their houses were destroyed by flood waters in Larimer County, the sheriff's office said.
Rains continued to exacerbate problems in the region. Colorado Springs firefighters conducted water rescues near the Air Force Academy early Sunday afternoon.
Officials said the focus continued on search and rescue operations, which are challenging because numerous mountain roads are flooded, damaged and impassable.
Weather also grounded a fleet of sixteen helicopters on Sunday for use in Larimer County, the sheriff's office said.
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President Barack Obama on Sunday issued a major disaster declaration as a result of the flooding and damage, Boulder County residents, specifically, are now eligible for grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Colorado also asked that 15 other counties be considered for disaster relief, the state's Emergency Management office said.
Miranda Woodard, left, and Joey Schendel help salvage and clean property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygiene, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Colorado mountain towns cut off for days by massive flooding slowly reopened Monday, to reveal cabins toppled, homes ripped from their foundations and everything covered in a thick layer of muck. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Colorado National Guardsmen dropped about 7,000 ready-to-eat meals and other supplies to stranded residents, the sheriff's office said. About 1,200 people were rescued Saturday by the National Guard, Boulder officials said.
Boulder city officials said Saturday that the city's main wastewater pipe was not damaged as first thought earlier in the day, but there may be other issues with the sewer system in the wake of the flooding.
There was no immediate threat to drinking water in Boulder, Erie, Lafayette or Longmont, officials said. But Boulder residents were asked Saturday to conserve water because one of the city's two water treatment plants is offline because the flooding caused high turbidity in the Boulder Reservoir.
Rivers continued to rise across the region but some water data were unavailable. The rain gauge station on the Big Thompson River at Loveland was severely damaged Thursday from the flooding, according to the U.S. Geological Survey water data website.
The University of Colorado at Boulder is closed through Sunday although university officials were preparing to reopen on Monday, the university said on its website.

A field of parked cars and trucks sits partially submerged near Greeley, Colo., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, as debris-filled rivers flooded into towns and farms miles from the Rockies. Hundreds of roads, farms and businesses in the area have been damaged or destroyed by the floodwaters. (AP Photo/John Wark)
Monday, Boulder County officials announced the cancellation of all scheduled events on Boulder County roads for the next 30 days. Later in the day, Boulder Canyon, or Highway 119, was closed to all traffic to allow emergency personnel quick access to the area.