Boulder Braces For More Possible Flooding, 208 Unaccounted For
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - In Boulder there's a race against time going on to try to protect homes and businesses from more potential flooding.
More heavy rain is expected Saturday afternoon, and residents are hustling to try to build walls and ditches to stop more of the flooding which has already hit the city hard.
On Friday people grabbed shovels and built barricades to keep the water from Boulder Creek that is still rushing down some city streets from causing more problems.
"We're trying to extend this wall out a little more so that we can keep the water from hitting these homes," said Scott Hoffenberg, who runs a neighborhood farm in Boulder. "We're up there trying to divert the water back to this street. And we're trying to reinforce this little path (for the water) down 7th to get it right to the creek.
"And the rain is on its way, so we're rushing."
Saturday's Flooding News Conferences: Boulder County | Weld County | Larimer County | Gov. Hickenlooper, Lawmakers
Boulder Office of Emergency Management spokeswoman Liz Donaghey said Saturday morning that 208 people are now considered "unaccounted for" in Boulder County.
"That number is not just people who are feared missing. That number is people who haven't been answering there phones or nobody has seen them. So there is a possibility for many of these people that their cellphones are dead or people just can't get hold of them so until we know for sure that they are safe we are going to keep them on our unaccounted for list," she said on the CBS4 Morning News.
Anyone who is concerned about relatives or friends' locations is asked to call a special hotline: (303) 776-2927.
Boulder Creek was flowing at a slower pace Friday night after cresting early Friday morning at unprecedented levels.
In North Boulder water has filled Crest View Elementary School. Nearly 600 students and parents don't know when and where school will resume.
The Kellie family is among those who are concerned about the school's future.
"I've never seen water here before, and now there's a river running through it," said Jim Kellie. "You have to see it to believe it."
Kellie waded through the water outside the school to peek inside the classroom windows.
"A lot of the rooms are full of standing water," he said.
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.
