Search Narrows For People Missing After Massive Colorado Floods
The search for people missing after this month’s massive Colorado floods has narrowed. Authorities announced on Saturday that 60 people are still missing a week and a half after torrential rains began.
Rescuers focused their search efforts in Larimer County, the epicenter of the flooding that swept from the eastern slopes of the Rockies to prairie farmlands downstream.
Reuters reports that the flooding caused property losses in 17 counties estimated at $2 billion. At least 1,800 homes were destroyed.
The confirmed death toll from the flooding stayed at seven, though there are three others listed as missing and presumed dead. Their bodies have not yet been recovered.
The number of missing after the Colorado floods went from 140 on Thursday to 82 on Friday in Larimer County — the only area reporting people missing after the devastating floods. The amount of names on the missing list fell significantly from 1,200 directly after the disaster to 60 on Saturday.
NBC News notes that six state highways also reopened a week after the record rainfall as floodwaters receded and workers removed debris and mud from pavement. Fifteen other highways remain closed in the state.
Along with homes and roadways, the Colorado floods also affected oil fields on the state’s Front Range. At least 22,000 gallons of oil spilled from tanks in the region, complicating the cleanup effort. The majority of the oil was released from storage tanks or tank farms operated by Andarko Petroleum Co.
At least four of the spills happened in Weld County and seeped into the South Platte River or a tributary, according to information received from regulators.
Officials from the city of Lyons also stated on Friday that their town could be unlivable for up to six months after E. coli was found in the drinking water system. The wastewater system also suffered more than $1 million in damage from the storm.
Meanwhile, disaster crews continued to search door-to-door in Larimer County for the rest of the missing people.
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