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National Guard Arrives In Lyons, Town Closed Off

LYONS, Colo. (CBS4)- No one can get in or out of the town of Lyons after overnight flooding. The National Guard has made it into Lyons to help those trapped there.

One person has died in Jamestown up the canyon from Lyons, which remains cut off. There has been some damage to buildings in that town.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has reached those people by radio who said they are okay but are all huddled together.

The constant rainfall has turned meager creeks into raging rivers, essentially trapping people behind it's rushing water.

"Unspeakable and it's going to get worse so who knows when we can get out of our subdivision," said one Lyons resident. "We've been out of electricity on and off for the past 24 hours."

As the streams rose residents were warned to seek higher ground.

"I got a steep hill behind me. It gave way last night, I got a pretty good mudslide," said another Lyons resident. "But it missed the house."

Debris swept down the hillsides and through the canyons, creating dams which blocked rushing water.

Entire subdivisions could only go as far as the main roads.

"We can but we can't go on the highway as you see," said one Lyons resident.

Water quality is a concern in the town of Lyons, where roads in and out of the city are closed. The sewer system has been overwhelmed and fresh drinking water is no longer available. Officials said residents should drink only boiled water or bottled water.

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