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Flooding
that's already killed three Coloradans forced fresh evacuations Friday.
AP Colorado Flooding_002. John Shada, of Manitou Springs, Colo.
Flooding that's already killed three Coloradans forced fresh evacuations Friday.
About 15 miles north of Boulder, the Colorado National Guard began evacuating up to 2,500 residents of Lyons — isolated, without power and running water because of flooded roads Thursday — at daybreak, according to the Boulder County sheriff's office. In South Boulder County, 500 residents in Eldorado Springs were also under evacuation orders. County emergency personnel said the Guard was using high-clearance trucks to move Lyons residents to safe areas.
"There's no way out of town. There's no way into town. So, basically, now we're just on an island," said Jason Stillman, 37, who was forced with his fiancee to evacuate their home in Lyons after a nearby river began to overflow into the street.
The National Weather Service had a flood warning for Boulder County through early Friday morning. Flood warnings were also issued for the city of Loveland and Big Thompson Canyon, site of the July 1976 flood that killed 143 people. The Big Thompson River was reported over four feet above its flood stage.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the state has lost "a great deal of infrastructure,'' although an exact assessment over flood damage could take weeks.
Hickenlooper urged residents near flood areas to remain "exceptionally careful" and stay away from swollen streams and rivers. "People try to walk through what looks like a harmless foot or two of water. You have to realize this is like liquid cement and you can be swept away."
In Boulder, officials issued emergency alerts to 8,000 residents along normally tranquil Boulder Creek, urging them to seek shelter elsewhere or move to higher ground. About 4,000 residents along Boulder Canyon faced mandatory evacuation. Officials fear mud and rocks accumulating in Boulder Canyon will clog and cause a sudden surge in water downstream.
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.
Two Maine backpackers hiking Longs Peak were stranded when the weather turned, the mother of one of the backpackers said Friday. Suzanne Turell and Connie Yang of York, Maine, last sent a text message shortly after 9:07 a.m. Thursday with their GPS coordinates. "We need help,'' said Turell, who added that they were at risk for hypothermia because of an ice storm at elevations above 13,400 feet. The cellphone has since gone dead,
Hundreds of residents spent Thursday night at evacuation centers, while thousands remain without power or are isolated by flooded roads. Friday morning, the creek was just under flood stage.
Flooding along the Poudre River prompted Fort Collins officials to "strongly urge"residents in at least four neighborhoods to flee.
The National Weather Service said Windsor, Estes Park, Berthoud and Drake remain at risk for flooding.
Boulder, home to the University of Colorado, was among the hardest hit by the devastating waters. Classes have been canceled until at least Monday, with 25% of the campus buildings water-damaged.
President Obama signed an emergency declaration Thursday night, which frees up federal aid and allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Flooding extended all along the Front Range mountains — including in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley and Aurora — as well as scores of small towns and mountain communities.
Floodwaters broke through a dam at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, prompting evacuations downstream in Commerce City, KUSA-TV reported. In Denver officials ordered the evacuation of an area off East Colfax Avenue, a main thoroughfare, because of rising waters.
The fast, torrential rainfall came from a storm system that has been soaking parts of the Mountain West for much of the week. Up to 10 inches fell in an area from the Wyoming border southward to the foothills west of Denver.
One person was killed in the collapse of a home in Jamestown, a mountain community isolated by washed out roads, KUSA-TV in Denver reported. Colorado Springs police found a second victim in Fountain Creek -- later identified as 54-year-old Danny Davis. A third victim was recovered from a north Boulder home Thursday morning. At least one Boulder woman remained missing.
Officials feared that water levels, rainfall and the victim count could increase as the storm kept battering the region into the evening and some areas remained inaccessible.
Boulder residents used sandbags, table tops and anything they could find to divert the fast-moving floodwaters away from homes.
Boulder saw more than 7 inches of rain in 24 hours, shattering the town's 95-year record for rainfall.
Near the town of Lyons, rescuers were kept back when St. Vrain Creek swelled and a dam failed near Pinewood Springs.
"It's just raging, gushing water,'' Lyons resident Carin Gray said. "We're totally isolated.''
Hughes reported from Colorado; Welch reported from Los Angeles. Contributing: Associated Press
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