3 Dead, Thousands Evacuated or Cut Off by Colorado Floods

Severe flooding has struck after heavy rains have pummeled Colorado for days. Several areas saw more than an inch of rain per hour, throughout Thursday. The rain is expected to continue through at least Friday, bringing several more inches.

Three people have died, one is missing, and hundreds have been evacuated. The three deaths occurred in Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Jamestown; while the missing person is from Boulder County. Emergency personnel were kept busy, on Thursday, performing water rescues.

Entire towns, including Boulder, Estes Park, and Lyons have been cut off. The National Guard is sending in raised vehicles to rescue the residents of Lyons. Low visibility has made helicopter flights impossible, limiting rescue efforts to the ground. However highways and city roads have been destroyed by the waters or covered by standing water and mudslides. Road closures continue to expand as they become impassable. For their own safety, law enforcement is asking the public to avoid being on the roads.

Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Irondale neighborhood, in Commerce City, as the dam at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was threatening to break. More than one hundred houses are part of that evacuation. Residents near the Olympus Dam, near Estes Park, were also forced to evacuate, due to concerns about their safety. Jefferson County ordered the evacuation of Leyden, due to overflow from the Leyden Dam. The Meadow Lake Dam, in Larimer County, burst but did not directly touch a populated area. Dams in several other locations are over flowing.

Multiple buildings in Jamestown and Boulder collapsed, including some on the CU campus. At least a quarter of the campus's buildings were damaged by the waters. The campus was closed on Thursday and will remain so, on Friday. Aurora, Boulder Valley, Cherry Creek, St. Vrain, and Thompson School Districts will all be closed on Friday. Other districts are considering closing. The United States Postal Service has also declared several areas will not be receiving mail on Friday, most of those areas did not get any on Thursday, either.

Power is out for thousands of Coloradans. In some areas cell towers have been knocked down. Estes Park was completely cut off as their land lines were taken out by the waters, as well. This left short wave radio the only way to communicate to the outside world. Concerns are high that drinking water might become contaminated, due to flooding. For now, only the town of Lyons has reported contamination and advising residents to boil water before drinking it.