14 DAY TRIAL // One person has been killed and three others are missing as mudslides hit Manitou Springs in Colorado.
According to a statement by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the victim has been identified as 52-year-old John Collins. He has been found under "significant amounts of debris," KUSA writes.
Officials for the Manitou Springs Fire Department identify the three missing people as an unnamed blonde woman who was been last seen hanging in a tree, a Narrows Roads resident and one Juston Travis, 24.
The fire department recovered the remains of Collins on Highway 24 on Friday, August 9. He worked as a contractor doing cement jobs and neighbors remember him for dressing up as Santa on the holidays.
"It was always the highlight of my children's Christmas to be able to sit on his lap. [...] It was something that they will never forget," friend Jessica Russ-Medovich says.
Disaster assessment supervisor for the American Red Cross, Tony Del Lago describes that the floods have destroyed a lot of property.
"The areas that were affected were storage areas and garages, but there were some residences on Lovers Lane and behind the American Legion, where there are a bunch of little apartments and bungalows, that got hit pretty hard. They are trying to dig out," Del Lago details for The Gazette.
"[Narrows Road] is not passable and won't be for a while because a lot of water and debris came down there," he adds.
City spokesman David Hunting informs that medical and psychological assistance will be provided to residents.
"We're going to have people available that the Red Cross has provided to help folks get through these tough times," at the church, he said.
Authorities dread that floods will become a regular occurrence in coming years.
"This is the first year of the burn scar. [...] We've got nine more years of this," Colorado Springs fire Lt. Steve Schopper says.