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People Leave Homes Or Sandbag Property As South Platte River Floods

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Communities along the South Platte River in Northeastern Colorado are protecting their homes from another round of rain, reminiscent of the flooding of September 2013.

Some are voluntarily leaving their homes, while others build berms to shore up their property against rising water.

The swollen South Platte River is forcing road closures and prompting extra precautions.

CBS4 Weather Watcher Dakota McGee has been tracking conditions along the South Platte River in Sterling. Water surrounds homes there, and threatens other buildings.

Rain poured down on the northeast corner of the state again on Wednesday.

sterling flooding
South Platte River flooding near Sterling (credit: CBS)

"We've seen about 14 inches in the past two, three weeks, which is a lot, too much in one time period," said McGee.

This week, McGee has seen flooding in places that were not under water during the 2013 disaster.

As some people choose to leave their homes, emergency managers are making sandbags are available to home owners who need them.

There were some reported improvements Wednesday afternoon where water was seen receding in some places.

south platte river flooding near sterling
South Platte River flooding northeast of Fort Morgan during early May 2015. (credit: Lauren DiSpirito)
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