University of Colorado Boulder Closed Due to Severe Flooding

By: Bailey Johnson

Published: September 12,2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

The campus of University of Colorado Boulder was completely shut down Thursday as torrential rain brought massive floods to parts of the state. A press release from the school stated that as many as 500 students, faculty and staff have been displaced by the surging water. Campus will be closed for the rest of the week.
Initial reports indicate any damage to the campus is minor. University facilities crews will be assessing buildings on campus throughout the day, and campus police are checking for safety hazards, the Associated Press reported.
"We don't have any reason to believe there's any major damage to the campus," said Ryan Huff, Public Information Officer for the City of Boulder. But officials urged students and others to stay indoors due to the risk of flash floods.
"We are pleading with students and people on this campus to stay indoors," Huff said at a press conference Thursday morning. "It is dangerous out there."
Severe flooding swamped several residence halls on the campus, and officials said it may be "several days" until fans could dry the interiors of some buildings.
While final estimates of the damage will take days to finish, the university seems to be relatively unscathed compared to other parts of Colorado. At least three deaths have been reported as of Thursday, alongside stories of cars being swept down the road by rushing water.
At CU-Boulder, only one injury has been reported so far. According to the campus press release, "On Wednesday night, a woman broke her ankle while playing 'slip and slide' on Farrand Field."
The system has caused at least two deaths in Colorado, and the threat it poses is far from over.
"A slow-moving area of low pressure over the Rockies combined with a moist, southerly flow at all levels of the atmosphere will keep the threat of locally heavy rain and flooding in place into the weekend," said Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.
Emergency Management Director Mike Chard said people should avoid creeks and waterways, and not attempt to cross flooded intersections in their cars, according to The Associated Press.
MORE: Sever flooding in Colorado

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User submitted photo of heavy rains in northern Colorado. The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in the area on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. (Photo courtesy of 9News.com/KUSA-TV)