Last night, Boulder, Colo. residents were forced to seek shelter at a local YMCA due to flash floods caused by rain. Around 11:15 p.m. last night, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management sent out two alerts advising people residing along Boulder Creek to find higher ground without crossing the creek. The disaster is being referred to as a "100-year flood." "This is not your ordinary day, this is not your ordinary disaster," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told ABC News.
Andra Coberly, spokesperson for Boulder's YMCA and lifelong Colorado resident, told ABC News that this was unlike anything that "[she had] ever, ever seen before." According to the National Weather Service, Boulder was covered with nearly 7 inches of rain in just a 24-hour period.
Not only did the water drive people from their homes and shut down the city, but it also made it difficult for authorities to rescue anyone in need of assistance. The flood also claimed the lives of three people: one body was found near Jamestown; another was discovered in Boulder County and the third was found near Interstate 25 yesterday morning.
UPDATE: This tweet from Reuters editor Jim Roberts shows what used to be a road from Boulder to Lyons, Colo.:
RT @MaryMacCarthy: This is/was main road to #Lyons from #Boulder #Colorado #coflood pic.twitter.com/luaoTJjFYN
[via ABC News]
