“This is a 500-to-1,000-year flood”

Torrential rains continue pounding flood-devastated Colorado

More rain has been falling in flood-devastated Colorado for a fifth day.

On Saturday several additional towns along the South Platte River were under mandatory evacuation.

Several areas have received more than 15 inches of rain over three days, an amount more than the annual total average, according to National Weather Service.

“This is a 500-to-1,000-year flood,” said a Weld County commissioner.

“We continue to have new landslides and road collapses,” said a message posted by the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District, warning trapped residents that rescuers were having difficulty reaching them.

“Rescue crews got a break when the rains let up on Friday, but by Saturday afternoon the rains returned, prompting the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings for canyons west of the Denver metro area,” said a report.

“This event has stunned all of us,” U.S. Senator Mark Udall said after touring the devastated area by air with Governor John Hickenlooper and other politicians on Saturday.

Riverbend campground, Storm Mountain near Drake. Credit: Deb Green.

Two of the worst hit areas are Weld County where the swollen St. Vrain, Big Thompson and Cache La Poudre rivers empty into the South Platte River, and Morgan County, further downstream, where the towns of Weldona, Goodrich, Muir Springs and Orchard were under evacuation orders, the report said.

• The disaster zone is larger than 10,000 mi², an area the size of Massachusetts.

• The raging floodwaters have destroyed numerous buildings, roads and bridges in the the disaster areas.

• Flooding has left at least 4 people dead, and a fifth victim, a 60-year-old female, is missing and presumed dead after witnesses saw her home swept away by floodwaters, according to Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

• About 520 people are still unaccounted for, said Gov. Hickenlooper in a TV interview (the figure includes 350 people in Larimer County and 170 others in Boulder County), and officials have warned the death toll could rise.

Related Links

• N. Colorado Declared as Federal Disaster Area September 14, 2013
• ens of Thousands Evacuated as Colorado Floods Worsen September 13, 2013
• Deadly Flooding Forces Thousands of Evacuations in Colorado September 13, 2013

N. Colorado Declared as Federal Disaster Area

Federal Disaster area declared for Fort Collins, northern Colo.

Thousands more evacuations have been ordered for the northern neighborhoods of Fort Collins.

The Poudre River is flowing at a rate of about 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), 100 times its normal flow, flooding significantly through Fort Collins and is expected to rise.

Officials have urged thousands of people to take shelter in dozens of the northern neighborhoods of Fort Collins.

Severe flooding has forced officials to close bridges, schools, and city offices in Fort Collins and Loveland, Colo.

Colorado State Patrol troopers took this photo on I-25 near Highway 34 in Larimer County at 7:30 on Friday, September 13, 2013.

A flood warning posted on the city of Fort Collins website read: “Poudre River has reached capacity and is flooding. The flooding on the river is of much greater severity than earlier reports. Travel is discouraged. For your safety, please avoid areas near the river. All bridges that cross the Poudre River are closed. Do NOT attempt to drive through floodwaters.”

The Big Thompson River is flowing at more than 9,000 cfs, the highest level since the Big Thompson flood of 1976, officials said.

“The city of Loveland has essentially been divided in two by the flow of the Big Thompson River,” said Tom Hacker, public information officer for the city of Loveland.

“There is no river crossing that is open in Loveland at this time. Any transit going from North to South in Loveland is impossible.”

4 Dead, 176 Missing

As of Friday evening, the death toll from the worst floods to hit Colorado in living memory had climbed to at least four with 176  others still unaccounted for.

Largest Storm in History

“It’s got to be the largest storm that I can imagine in the state’s history,” said Governor John Hickenlooper at a news conference.

Colorado Emergency Declaration

Meantime, the White House declared an emergency exists in the State of Colorado and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides beginning on September 11, 2013, and continuing.

The declaration is in response to the threat of catastrophe in the counties of Boulder, El Paso, and Larimer, said the WH statement.

On Friday, Governor Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency for 14 counties.

Related Links

• Tens of Thousands Evacuated as Colorado Floods Worsen September 13, 2013
• Deadly Flooding Forces Thousands of Evacuations in Colorado September 13, 2013

Tens of Thousands Evacuated as Colorado Floods Worsen

“biblical rainfall amounts” trigger historic  flooding along Colorado’s Front Range mountain

Flash Flood Warnings remained in effect for much of eastern and northern Colorado including the entire Denver/Boulder metropolitan area, with a population of more than 3 million.

The National Weather Service issued an urgent bulletin at 9:41am on Thursday that expressed the scale of the threat: “Major flooding/flash flooding event underway at this time with biblical rainfall amounts reported in many areas in/near the foothills.”

Boulder was pounded with more than 7 inches of rain in 24 hours, which shattered the town’s 95-year rainfall record.

“This is not an ordinary day. It is not an ordinary disaster,” said Boulder County Sheriff.

• Cascading floodwaters from Boulder Canyon above the city forced the evacuation of more than 8,000 Boulder residences.

• The enclave of Jamestown north of Boulder was completely evacuated.

• Entire town of Eldorado Springs in south Boulder County were ordered to evacuate due to the threats of rising waters and mudslide.

Coal Creek Canyon. Photo credit: Jefferson County Sheriff. More images…

Near the town of Lyons, St. Vrain River jumped its banks, and a dam failed near Pinewood Springs, isolating the town, said a report.

In Longmont (population: ~ 88,000) about 14 miles northeast of Boulder, St. Vrain Creek again overflowed its banks, inundating the main roads and dividing the city.

• At least  7,000 residences in Longmont were under mandatory evacuation orders.

The University of Colorado campus in Boulder was one of  the hardest hit areas. More than 500 hundred students and staff members were ordered evacuated, as devastating floodwaters damaged a quarter of the campus buildings, officials said.

Colorado Governor Hickenlooper declared a disaster for the flooded areas.

“We have declared a disaster for the flooded areas and are requesting emergency declaration from FEMA for search and rescue and emergency protection and other support,” said Hickenlooper. “We want to get something in front of President Obama as rapidly as possible.”

“The State Emergency Center has been activated to a Level 3 category of alert or action 24/7. So they will be providing direct resources across the state to the counties affected by the flooding.”

The White House signed a federal emergency declaration Thursday night.

Mudslides and rockslides have blocked parts of U.S. 6, Boulder Canyon, Colorado 14 and U.S. 287, said the Denver Post. Lefthand Canyon was reportedly blocked by multiple slides.

The disaster has claimed at least three lives, but authorities expect the toll to rise.

Related Links

• Deadly Flooding Forces Thousands of Evacuations in Colorado