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
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