Thread: More than 500 missing in Colorado floods: Death toll rises to five as more rain threa

More than 500 missing in Colorado floods: Death toll rises to five as more rain threatens further destruction over 4,500 square miles

By Daily Mail Reporter and Ryan Gorman
PUBLISHED: 11:24 EST, 14 September 2013
UPDATED: 02:41 EST, 15 September 2013

• Heavy rains that started Wednesday sparked flash-flooding from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs
• Residents urged to leave now or risk being stranded for weeks without water or power
  
• The National Weather service says there has been over 12 inches of rainfall since September 1, breaking the 73-year-old record for the month
• Surging floodwaters in Boulder led to the evacuation of about 4,000 residents late Thursday
  
• President Obama has approved a federal disaster assistance request for the area and National Guard have been dispatched

Colorado residents are bracing themselves for further flooding and devastation, with more storms due to hit on Sunday.

More than 500 people are missing and at least four people have died, with another victim believed to be dead, after flash floods.

Many residents are still stranded in their homes as rescue workers try to reach them. Boulder county officials fear rescue attempts will be hampered by the extra 4in of rain due on Sunday.



Demolished: The walls of this home have been washed away on South Platte River


Wrecked: Only the roof of a Jamestown house remains after flash floods ripped through the town


Cut off: A farm house is completely surrounded by rising water


Swept away: A large chunk of road near Greenley, Colorado, has been demolished by the flood


Evacuation: Residents have been told if they don't leave they risk being cut off for two weeks

Authorities who still haven't reached all the stranded victims of floods in northeastern Colorado are bracing for a new round of storms on Sunday.
Already it is estimated that it will cost $150 million to repair more than 100 miles of road and at least 20 bridges that have been washed away.

County transportation director George Gerstle told CNN the repair bill is likely to be 10 to 15 the annual budget.
A sheriff's office spokesman said hundreds of people were unaccounted for, but added that some residents may have reached safety but not been able to contact relatives to tell them.


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• The dramatic moment hero saves mom and daughter left balancing on roof of their car in rising Colorado floods as thousands are ordered to evacuate area
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Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said authorities had to be 'realistic' about the chances that the death toll will rise.

With the rain never seeming to end and the waters continuing to rise, more than 4,000 people near Boulder, Colorado, have been evacuated as nearby Milliken has been surrounded by water and turned into an island, according to reports.

The reality of what is becoming a long-term disaster is setting in, flooding has affected parts of a 4,500-square-mile area almost the size of Connecticut.


An aerial view of vehicles submerged in flood waters along the South Platte River near Greenley, Colorado


Underwater: The small farming town of Milliken, CO, has been surrounded by waters that first turned it into an island, but are now inundating homes


Runaway homes: Trailer homes are floating off their foundations as rushing waters sweep them away


Not just homes: Farms and farm equipment are also being destroyed by the treacherous waters


Unprecedented: The 12 inches of rain recorded since Sept 1 has set an all-time record for the month, and even more is on the way

In the most recent developments, people are stranded in Milliken after the main road out of town was washed away by raging floodwaters, according to CBS Denver. As the devastating rapids rise, they wash away more of the road, and flood ever closer to even more homes.

'The fire department said Milliken is an island but I found a way out,' Jorge Garza told the station.
A CBS Denver helicopter flying over the town spotted a family of three and their dog being rescued from menacing waters via a motorized raft. '[Milliken] has turned into a lake with campers, fields and cars submerged,' the station further reported.

172 people are unaccounted for, Boulder County officials told KDVR.


Sludge: Brian Montgomery wades through thick mud in the basement of his mother's home


Deserted: Residents are being taken to evacuation centers amid reports of more storms


Access: Heavy equipment is used to try to clear debris from a road covered in 20ft banks of mud


Damage: An estimated $150 million of repair work will be needed to fix roads and bridges that have been washed away

As rescuers broke through to flood-ravaged Colorado towns, they issued a stern warning Saturday to anyone thinking of staying behind: Leave now or be prepared to endure weeks without electricity, running water and basic supplies.

Authorities made clear that residents who chose not to leave might not get another chance for a while.

'We're not trying to force anyone from their home. We're not trying to be forceful, but we're trying to be very factual and definitive about the consequences of their decision, and we hope that they will come down,' Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.


Cut off: A farm house has been turned into an island as flood water rises near Greenley, Colorado


By land: The Army National Guard has brought in heavy equipment meant to assist in the rescue of trapped residents

Or
by sea: Officials are also using motorboats to help save trapped people


Shocked: Residents are shell-shocked, many have lost everything, as a result of the historic floods


Waterlogged: Cattle brave the fierce waters on higher ground as everything around them is swept away

Special education teacher Brian Shultz, 38, was torn about leaving his Jamestown home.
'I was thinking about staying. I could have lasted at least a year. I have a lot of training in wilderness survival,' he said, adding that he probably had enough beer to last the whole time.

Another one to two inches of rain is expected to fall between Saturday night and Sunday, which will only add to the problems.

National Guard choppers have been evacuating the Jamestown, of about 295 people - plus pets - after the mountain hamlet became isolated by flooding.
Mike Smith, incident commander at Boulder Municipal Airport, said helicopters would continue flying in and out late into the night.

The outlook for anyone who'd rather stay is weeks without power, cell phone service, water or sewer.
For those awaiting an airlift, Guardsmen dropped food, water and other supplies in Jamestown and other small towns in the winding, narrow canyons that dot the Rocky Mountain foothills.



Swamped: A railway track in Longmont is lost under floodwater


Ruined: Trailer homes have been washed away in the water




The surge: Flash-flooding continues in the Boulder-area of Colorado after three days of record-breaking rainfall


Overflowing: The heavy rains have impacted a large stretch of Colorado from Fort Collins near the northern border with Wyoming, all the way to Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs more than 100 miles south



Geysers of sewage: A Sewer in Manitou Springs is overwhelmed by rainfall yesterday, gurgling the overflow of water

Thousands of evacuees sought shelter in cities that were nearly surrounded by raging rivers spilling over their banks.

The dayslong rush of water from higher ground has killed four people and turned towns on Colorado's expansive eastern plains into muddy swamps.

Crews used inflatable boats to rescue families and pets from stranded farmhouses. Some evacuees on horseback had to be escorted to safe ground.

Boulder County officials said Friday night that the number of people unaccounted for had risen to 172, according to local television and newspaper reports.
'I expect that we're going to continue to receive reports of confirmed missing and confirmed fatalities throughout the next several days,' Larimer County sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said.
Record-breaking: Over 12 inches of rain has fallen since September 1, which shatters the previous record set in the 1940s of 5.5 inches




View from above: Satellite imaging shows the storm system that swept over the eastern Colorado area on September 11, starting flash-floods that have killed three so far


Flee: The floods have displaced thousands of human residents, but also the wildlife in Colorado. Above, a deer jumps over a sidewalk in a flood-damaged area of Boulder

The officials said earlier that the unaccounted for figure doesn't necessarily represent missing people.

Near Greeley, some 35 miles east of the foothills, broad swaths of farmland had become lakes, and hundreds of roads were closed or damaged by floodwaters. A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 25 was closed from Denver to the Wyoming line.

Rocky Mountain National Park closed Friday, its visitors forced to leave via the 60-mile Trail Ridge Road to the west side of the Rockies.

It will be weeks, if not months, before a semblance of normalcy returns to Lyons, a gateway community to the park. The town, surrounded by sandstone cliffs whose color was reflected in the raging St. Vrain River, consisted of six islands Friday as residents barbecued their food before it spoiled. Several people set up a tent camp on a hill.

Some 2,500 residents were being evacuated from Lyons. Two bridges that led into the area were washed away.
Aerial views of flood damage as death toll rises in Colorado



'
Wall of water': Around midnight, officials said they were monitoring a wall of water headed toward the area of Emerson Gulch


Churning: Boulder Creek is overflowing and threatening the city of Boulder, which it runs right through


Swept away: The 30-foot wall of water was caused when a drainage gulch burst and swept up debris and vehicles in it's path


Won't stop: Rain continued to fall in Colorado today, only adding to the already dangerous flash-flooding


Stream: Water spills over a hillside home at the base of Boulder Canyon today


Emergency situation: The National Guard has been dispatched to help rescue people stranded in their homes

'There's so much water coming out of the canyon, it has to go somewhere, and unfortunately it's coming into the city,' said Ashlee Herring, spokeswoman for the Boulder office of Emergency Management.

Boulder Creek, which runs through the heart of the city, became a raging torrent that burst its banks and flooded adjacent parking lots and streets as warning sirens wailed.

Officials in Boulder announced just before midnight Thursday that they were tracking a large 'wall of water, containing debris and vehicles' headed towards Emerson Gulch from the Fourmile burn area.

TheDenver Post reported that the 30-foot wall of water was caused by a drainage gulch that burst and released a large amount of water which swept up debris and vehicles in it's path.
Other towns nestled along the Front Range of the Rockies north of Denver were also hard hit.

In Longmont about 14 miles northeast of Boulder, the St Vrain River jumped its banks, cascading across main thoroughfares and making travel across the city impossible overnight.


Exploring: Umbrella-toting residents take pictures of the damage the flooding had on a street in Boulder on Friday


Home invasion: A couple returns to find their home Friday to find it water-damaged from the previous days floods


Survivor: So far, officials have announced three deaths related to the flooding. Above, a man is rescued by emergency workers after he spent the night trapped on high ground above his home



Battling the storm: A man in Boulder attempts to make a mud barrier to protect his house from the flooding


Boots are no use: Homeowner Hannah Hinseth returns to her home to survey the damage caused by the severe flooding


Street sweepers: Residents shovel debris to form a protective dike in a neighborhood of Boulder

'Our city is completely divided,' by the floodwaters, assistant city manager Shawn Lewis told Reuters.

Lewis said 7,000 households were under mandatory evacuation orders. The city opened two emergency shelters for displaced residents.

President Barack Obama approved a federal disaster assistance request, which will release funds to help with emergency protection, Governor John Hickenlooper's office said late on Thursday.

National Guard troops were dispatched with emergency supplies to the remote town of Lyons, north of Boulder, which was virtually cut off from surrounding areas when floodwaters washed out U.S. Route 36, county officials said.


Cut-off: Towns like Magnolia, above, have been completely shut off after the raging waters washed out roads


Waiting for rescue: All road access to the town of Lyons, Colorado was cut-off and National Guard troops have been dispatched to bring residents emergency supplies. Above a wiped out road near the base of Boulder Canyon


Baby's first flood: A young family take a walk on Friday to survey the damage in their Boulder neighborhood


A river runs through it: Lefthand Creek runs down a neighborhood street in Longmont, Colorado Friday


Clean-up: Today, a farmer is seen clearing debris from railroad tracks in Longmont, Colorado


Back at last: Evelyn Mortiz carries her luggage barefoot back home after spending the night with friends during the mandatory evacuation in her area

A dozen major roads in northeastern Colorado remained shut with significant damage from flooding, mudslides, rockfalls and other debris, the Colorado Department of Transportation said late on Thursday.

Heavy summer rains are not unusual for Colorado, but the intensity and duration of the downpour that began on Monday night was unprecedented.

The National Weather Service said at least 12.3 inches of rain have fallen on Boulder since September 1, smashing a 73-year-old record of 5.5 inches for the month.



Cleaning house: Lucas Calderon-Griek uses a broom to sweep out the water from his home in Upland


Aid: Colorado National Guardsmen help relocate a family trapped at their heavily-flooded home


Record-breaking: The former record for rainfall during the month of September was 5.5 inches. That's been shattered already with the National Weather Service saying that 12.3 inches have fallen


Wreckage: A man cleans up Canon Avenue after a flash flood burst a manhole and sent water rushing down the streets of Manitou


Pop-up pool: A couple play in the flooded Utah Park in Aurora, Colorado yesterday


Back to work: Men at Namaste Solar are pictured clearing debris off of their work site today in Boulder

One body was found in a collapsed building near Jamestown, an evacuated enclave north of Boulder.

A couple were swept away in floodwaters after stopping their car northwest of the city. The man's body was recovered but the woman was missing and feared dead, said Commander Heidi Prentup of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.

The body of a third confirmed fatality, a 54-year-old man, was found by police on flood-watch patrols in a Colorado Springs creek, about 100 miles to the south, officials said.
On Friday, a woman who had been swept away was found dead near Boulder, raising the death toll to four.

Nearly 150 people were killed near Boulder in 1976 by a flash flood along the Big Thompson Canyon.


Out of control: The heavy rainfalls have turned Boulder Creek into a raging river with enough power to wash out roads


Ominous: Clouds cover the Denver skyline early this morning. It continues to rain in the area


Up in the air: A Rocky Mountain Rescue Team prepares to depart in a National Guard piloted helicopter


Swamped: A National Guard vehicle drives through a flooded area in Boulder County Thursday as rain continued to pour


Pup saved! This family's poodle couldn't be left behind


Distractions: Carolyn Hornung, distracted by her phone, casually stands in flowing water outside her house in Boulder, Colorado Friday

Colorado floods continue for third day


Read more:

• KDVR
• CBS Denver
• Reuters
• Colorado floods: More than 500 still unaccounted for as 'devastating' rain looms

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ared-dead.html

One believing in a Righteous God reflecting on the complete abandonment of morality, integrity, decency, civility, truth, and justice at all levels of government and society must ask themselves if the murdering of millions of innocent unborn babies, historic fires, mudslides, floods, natural disasters, HIV, incurable STDs, and near complete disintegration of the man/woman nuclear family aren't a supernatural harvesting of what this nation has sown in the past fifty years.

H2

Regarding spiritual harvesting in the physical realm, I might add drought ..

Even with the rain, drought persists

It's important to remember that even with the heavy rainfall we have been seeing, drought conditions persist. The drought did not begin with a month and a half of dry and is not going to go away with a month and a half of rain. Colorado's drought has been building for the better part of a decade.

Pictures: Drought Parches Much of the U.S.