Evans Neighborhood Still Surrounded By Water
EVANS, Colo. (CBS4) - There is a growing level of despair in some parts of Weld County, where flood waters simply aren't moving away fast enough.
Officials lifted evacuation orders on Monday in two Greeley neighborhoods, but in neighboring Evans water still surrounds one neighborhood.
CBS4 on Monday found some residents of the flooded Eastwood Village Trailer Park using an old refrigerator as a life raft to take valuable goods away from their devastated homes. Others were using trash bins or large plastic containers.
Although the water level is receding somewhat, city officials said the water is contaminated. Some homeowners were willing to risk it on Monday, though, and waded through it in some cases up to their waist to salvage what they can.
One of the only things Naomi Torres could save from her submerged home was a framed photograph from her wedding.
"Mostly I wanted to get this back, and my wedding dress," Torres told CBS4's Stan Bush.
"Are you going to have to start over again?" Bush asked.
"Yes," she said.
Juan Espino said he only had 20 minutes to get out of his residence before the flood waters moved in.
"It's just a mess. Everything's destroyed. Everything's just washed away. It's just a total loss," he said.
Dozens of people who saw their homes for the first time on Monday since the flooding may never come back. Rachel Moralez lost everything.
"There's no words. I mean I'm just in shock to see my home -- that I'll never get my things that I own out of it," she said.
The total amount of the damages in Evans is unknown, but city officials said they will need state and federal help in their cleanup efforts.
City leaders said about 200 mobile homes were destroyed when the waters raged through the town. Several thousand people are displaced.
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.
