lyons colorado
- Los Angeles Times - 6 hours agoBOULDER, Colo. -- As recordbreaking rainfall continued to pound parts of Colorado, officials stepped up evacuations for thousands living in ...
Colorado flooding: Thousands await help; town of Lyons evacuated
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Colorado Governor Urges Flood Safety
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Raw: Colorado Floods Force Thousands to Flee
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Thousands Flee Colorado Flood Waters
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Colorado flooding intensifies after record rains
BOULDER, Colo. -- As recordbreaking rainfall continued to pound parts of Colorado, officials stepped up evacuations for thousands living in areas endangered by flash flooding as emergency workers moved to aid residents trapped in isolated towns by raging waters.
The National Guard on
Friday moved to evacuate people the entire town of Lyons, one of several
cut off and without electrical power since flash floods ripped through
the state Wednesday night. As much as 9 inches of rain fell within hours
in parts of the state, flooding streams, causing mudslides and spilling
over earthen dams.
Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate in cities including Loveland and Longmont in Boulder County. The towns of Lyons, Jamestown and others in the Rocky Mountain foothills have been isolated by flooding and have been without power or telephone service since rain hanging over the region all week intensified late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Sirens blared in Boulder late Thursday and by 11 p.m. about 3,500 people were evacuated from along Boulder Creek where the normally tranquil waterway roared at more than three times its usual rates. The raging waters swirled out of its banks and tore across parks and roads near the heart of the city.
The waters posed two problems, threatening to trap motorists in vehicles while also shutting down roads desperately needed for emergency use. At a morning news conference, Gov. John Hickenlooper warned people not to step into what looked like shallow pools because they usually were deeper than they appeared, often filled with dangerous debris.
“Stay out of your vehicle,” said the governor, who has declared a state of emergency. “Stay home, if possible.”
President Obama signed an emergency declaration Thursday night, allowing federal aid and Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel to work on relief efforts. Hickenlooper, who is planning to tour some of the worst areas, said he was meeting with federal officials later on Friday.
There is no estimate of the damages, but recovery is expected to easily run into the tens of millions of dollars and rebuilding of some roads and bridges will take time, the governor said.
At least three deaths have been confirmed and one person is missing, officials said.
Seventeen people are considered unaccounted for across Boulder County, Liz Donaghey, a spokeswoman for the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management, told the Los Angeles Times. She added that does not necessarily mean they are missing but as of 7 a.m. they could not be reached by phone.
Getting to and from most anywhere in much of the state continued to be not only a headache but also a hazard. Officials estimate between 70 to 100 roadways and highways have been closed in Boulder County alone, Donaghey said. U.S. 36, the major eastbound artery between Boulder and Denver, saw rising waters on the highway. Cars were pushed to the side where they stood precariously.
The northern section of U.S. 36 is also closed between Lyons and Estes Park, where the town of Lyons remains mostly cut off. National Guard troops did reach the town with supplies on Thursday night.
As the National Guard continued its relief efforts on Friday in Lyons, the National Weather Service warned of more flash flooding there. Also, the Big Thompson River at Drake was more than 4 feet above its flood stage of 6 feet, according to the service.
Residents of Lyons had been evacuated earlier in the week to a center established in a school. Many of those people were being moved a second time on Thursday night and Friday by the Guard.
“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, according to the Associated Press.
To the north, residents along the Big Thompson Canyon in Larimer County were also evacuated. The Big Thompson River flooded in 1976 after about a foot of rain fell in just four hours, killing 144 people. The town of Jamestown also remains isolated.
Rain started to pick up again on Friday morning in Denver. A dam northwest of the city was among those breached on Thursday and the waters now threaten several neighborhoods in the suburb of Commerce City. The city of Aurora also reporting flooding.
Eldorado Springs, home to about 500 people, was urged to evacuate because of a flash flood and mudslide threat along South Boulder Creek. Northwest of Boulder, the overflowing Vrain Creek cut the town of Longmont in half. Evacuation requests were issued for some neighborhoods.
The University of Colorado has canceled classes at least through Friday after a quarter of its buildings were flooded. Hundreds of people in family housing near Boulder Creek were also forced to leave.
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Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate in cities including Loveland and Longmont in Boulder County. The towns of Lyons, Jamestown and others in the Rocky Mountain foothills have been isolated by flooding and have been without power or telephone service since rain hanging over the region all week intensified late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Sirens blared in Boulder late Thursday and by 11 p.m. about 3,500 people were evacuated from along Boulder Creek where the normally tranquil waterway roared at more than three times its usual rates. The raging waters swirled out of its banks and tore across parks and roads near the heart of the city.
The waters posed two problems, threatening to trap motorists in vehicles while also shutting down roads desperately needed for emergency use. At a morning news conference, Gov. John Hickenlooper warned people not to step into what looked like shallow pools because they usually were deeper than they appeared, often filled with dangerous debris.
“Stay out of your vehicle,” said the governor, who has declared a state of emergency. “Stay home, if possible.”
President Obama signed an emergency declaration Thursday night, allowing federal aid and Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel to work on relief efforts. Hickenlooper, who is planning to tour some of the worst areas, said he was meeting with federal officials later on Friday.
There is no estimate of the damages, but recovery is expected to easily run into the tens of millions of dollars and rebuilding of some roads and bridges will take time, the governor said.
At least three deaths have been confirmed and one person is missing, officials said.
Seventeen people are considered unaccounted for across Boulder County, Liz Donaghey, a spokeswoman for the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management, told the Los Angeles Times. She added that does not necessarily mean they are missing but as of 7 a.m. they could not be reached by phone.
Getting to and from most anywhere in much of the state continued to be not only a headache but also a hazard. Officials estimate between 70 to 100 roadways and highways have been closed in Boulder County alone, Donaghey said. U.S. 36, the major eastbound artery between Boulder and Denver, saw rising waters on the highway. Cars were pushed to the side where they stood precariously.
The northern section of U.S. 36 is also closed between Lyons and Estes Park, where the town of Lyons remains mostly cut off. National Guard troops did reach the town with supplies on Thursday night.
As the National Guard continued its relief efforts on Friday in Lyons, the National Weather Service warned of more flash flooding there. Also, the Big Thompson River at Drake was more than 4 feet above its flood stage of 6 feet, according to the service.
Residents of Lyons had been evacuated earlier in the week to a center established in a school. Many of those people were being moved a second time on Thursday night and Friday by the Guard.
“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, according to the Associated Press.
To the north, residents along the Big Thompson Canyon in Larimer County were also evacuated. The Big Thompson River flooded in 1976 after about a foot of rain fell in just four hours, killing 144 people. The town of Jamestown also remains isolated.
Rain started to pick up again on Friday morning in Denver. A dam northwest of the city was among those breached on Thursday and the waters now threaten several neighborhoods in the suburb of Commerce City. The city of Aurora also reporting flooding.
Eldorado Springs, home to about 500 people, was urged to evacuate because of a flash flood and mudslide threat along South Boulder Creek. Northwest of Boulder, the overflowing Vrain Creek cut the town of Longmont in half. Evacuation requests were issued for some neighborhoods.
The University of Colorado has canceled classes at least through Friday after a quarter of its buildings were flooded. Hundreds of people in family housing near Boulder Creek were also forced to leave.
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