CU Campus Remains Closed As Officials Assess Flood Damage

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- The campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder remained closed Friday and evacuations are still in place for about 400 students because of dangerous flooding that essentially shut down the city.

About 40 buildings on the CU Boulder campus have water damage, including Theatre, Norlin Library, and the Koelbel business building, as well as the Research Lab 2 and Research Lab 4 buildings on the east campus.. That's about a quarter of the school's buildings.

CU police officers have been checking building exteriors looking for safety hazards.

Initial assessments indicate that most of the water damage is minor, though it may take several days to dry out areas with fans.

Residents in Faculty/Staff Court, Athens Court and ground floor units in Newton Court were evacuated late Wednesday.

"With the weather conditions continuing to be unpredictable, we're going to exercise caution and keep the current evacuation in place," said Chancellor Philip DiStefano Thursday. "This will be revisited again on Friday as early as we can make a determination that the units are safe."

Residence halls with flooding damage on the ground floor include a few units in Reed and Crosman Halls. Those residents have been relocated to other units within the same buildings.

There is only one report of an injury from the flooding on campus. On Wednesday night, a woman broke her ankle while playing "slip and slide" on Farrand Field.

"I want to assure parents and others that we have not had any reports of missing students or serious injuries," said Louise Vale, Vice Chancellor for Administration, on Thursday. "The majority of our campus is well above the flood plain and is not at risk of flash flooding. We want to make sure the buildings are safe before we open them."

The CU football game against Fresno State will be played as scheduled Saturday with a kickoff at 12:07 p.m. Ralphie's Corral prior to the Saturday football game has been canceled.

The Pearl Street Stampede on Friday was canceled.

Colorado Floods: How To Help

The recent floods are impacting families and communities throughout Colorado, so CBS4 has compiled a list of ways you can support the local communities impacted by the floods.