More rain could hamper Colo. flood recovery

BOULDER, Colorado The search for people stranded from the Rocky Mountain foothills to the plains of northeastern Colorado grew more difficult Sunday, with a new wave of rain threatening to hamper airlifts from the flooded areas still out of reach.

Numerous pockets of individuals remain cut off from help even with more than 1,750 people and 300 pets already rescued from communities and individual homes swamped by rivers and streams overflowing from unrelenting rain last week, but, officials said.

Twenty military helicopters planned to expand the search from Boulder County east to Fort Morgan, but the window of opportunity was closing with clouds rolling in and up 2 to inches (5 centimeters) of rain expected to fall.

"It will affect our air operations if it keeps raining," Colorado National Guard Lt. James Goff said Sunday. "We'll look at ground operations of any other courses of action."

The additional rain falling on ground that has been saturated by water since Wednesday created the risk of more flash flooding and mud slides, according to the National Weather Service.

An 80-year-old woman in Larimer County's Cedar Cove was missing and presumed dead after her home was washed away by the flooding Big Thompson River, officials said Sunday.

The woman was injured and unable to leave her home Friday night, sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said.

"When local people came to help get her out of the home, it was gone," he said.

That is the same area where a 60-year-old woman is presumed dead after the river destroyed her home the same night.

Two fatalities were identified by the Boulder County coroner Saturday as Wesley Quinlan and Wiyanna Nelson, both 19.

Authorities believe the couple died when they were swept away after driving into floodwaters and then leaving their vehicle. Their cause of death is under investigation.

The number of confirmed flood fatalities stood at four but was expected to rise. Hundreds of people remained unaccounted for though most are likely just stranded, officials said.

There were some reports of progress. Road repair was under way in the areas of Glen Haven and Estes Park, the gateway community for Rocky Mountain National Park, Schulz said.

Cellphone service also was being restored in Estes Park, providing a vital communications that could reduce the number of people who were unaccounted for, he said.

In Morgan County, Sheriff James Crone told KMGH-TV a bridge had collapsed and the raging South Platte River divided the area.

The river was expected to flood until at least Tuesday, and Crone worried the new rain could send another surge of water down the river, Crone said.

The last two days have seen dramatic rescues of trapped residents as helicopters hoisted them and their pets above the floodwaters. Some have refused to go, choosing instead to stay with their homes and property.

A helicopter taking Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on a tour of the flooded areas stopped twice to pick up six stranded people and their two pets.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said those people would not be forced to leave, but they have been warned that rescuers will not return for those who choose to stay.

Rescue crews in Larimer County planned a ground push Sunday to reach residents in Rist Canyon west of Fort Collins, Schulz said. An unknown number of people there have been receiving food and water drops.

"We're sending crews up there as far as we can," Schulz said. "This is a very mountainous area."

President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration and ordered federal aid for Colorado.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of New Mexico, flood waters broke through dams, inundated neighborhoods and killed at least one person. The massive flooding prompted Gov. Susana Martinez to issue a state of emergency, opening up recovery funding after rivers overflowed because of heavy rains and caused millions of dollars in damage

In Lyons, Colo., the cars that normally clog Main Street on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park have been replaced by military supply trucks. Shop owners in Estes Park hurriedly cleared their wares in fear that the Big Thompson River will rise again. A plywood sign encouraged residents mucking out their homes to "Hang in there."

Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado's Rocky Mountain foothills affectionately known "The Gore-Tex Vortex" from a paradise into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services — and more rain falling Sunday.

The string of communities from Boulder to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, is a base for backpackers and nature lovers where blue-collar and yuppie sensibilities exist side by side. Now, roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, the site of the bluegrass festival is washed out and most shops are closed.

Chris Rodes, one of Lyons' newest residents, said the change is so drastic that he is considering moving away just two weeks after settling there.

"It's not the same," Rodes said. "All these beautiful places, it's just brown mud."