|
|
|
|
|
|
By Category |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
India On Media |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Politics
News |
|
Colorado floods leave up to 500 |
Colorado floods leave up to 500 unaccounted for
|
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 16-September-2013
5:2:26 AM |
More torrential rain grounded helicopters in the US state of Colorado on Sunday, slowing the search for up to 500 people unaccounted for after several days of massive flooding.
Among the missing, officials suggested many may simply not be able to call loved ones because of damage to cell phone towers or power outages.
"But we're still bracing," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said. "There are many, many homes that have been destroyed. A number have been collapsed and we haven't been in them yet," he told CNN.
Hickenlooper put the number unaccounted for state-wide at 500, but Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle, in the hardest-hit region, said the numbers were changing rapidly: by mid-afternoon it had been cut to 326, from 431 earlier.
It was unclear if those figures included people still missing in other parts of the state.
"Finding the people who are unaccounted for is one of the highest priorities, and five teams of Boulder County Sheriff's Office detectives are dedicated full-time to this task," said Pelle, in an afternoon update posted by Boulder Office of Emergency Management.
In addition, thousands have been evacuated after torrential downpours washed away roads and inundated communities, claiming at least six lives.
Rain began pelting the western state earlier this week, with Boulder especially hard hit, seeing 7.2 inches (18.3 centimeters) of precipitation in about 15 hours starting Wednesday night.
And with more downpours affecting already flood-ravaged areas, the situation could get even worse, Hickenlooper said.
With the ground saturated, "that's going to just really magnify the problems we've had so far," he said in reference to Boulder County.
"We're still trying to evacuate people," Hickenlooper added, noting that almost 2,000 residents had been moved out of Boulder alone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENTS
Free offer!!! Become an administrator for your zip home page, "Post" local news (local to your postcode)& pictures, "Post" advertisement banners from local companies. Make Extra money.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|