14 DAY TRIAL // At least two people have been killed in Colorado as authorities rush to clear towns located in the path of a massive flash flood.
The victims lived near Boulder, Colorado, where the National Weather Service reported 6.5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.
A structure fell apart, trapping a woman underneath near Jamestown during the Colorado floods, NBC reports.
A second casualty was reported by the Colorado Springs Fire Department earlier today. Fire Department spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino describes agents finding the remains of a woman near Interstate 25.
Authorities sent out divers to rescue motorists stranded in floating cars.
“There was one woman that was on top of a vehicle and the vehicle was actually on its side,” Smaldino details.
Mudslides 2 to 3 feet deep have stopped traffic, making passing them out of the question, even with four by four vehicles.
Fourmile Canyon, near Boulder, and Jamestown have already been evacuated. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle warns residents in neighboring town not to go outside, via a message relayed by the Daily Camera.
“It may look OK in your neighborhood, but by the time you get on the thoroughfare to work, you may run into some real issues.
“We’ve got cars in water and debris and manholes missing their covers literally everywhere in the county,” Pelle stresses.
Boulder is also home to the University of Colorado Boulder, and officials are not letting students leave campus grounds.
They will try to evacuate 400 to 500 graduate students from its on-campus structure but, until then, they are asking all of them to stay put.
“We are pleading with students and people on this campus to stay indoors. [...] It is dangerous out there,” campus police spokesman Ryan Huff adds.
A road has collapsed in Larimer County, leaving local authorities to ask for National Guard helicopter to extricate stranded families.
“The road is completely gone. [...] They have no way of getting out,” a spokeswoman describes.