The massive flooding in Colorado this past week has destroyed hundreds of roads, bridges and homes and has devastated the lives of thousands of Colorado residents. According to CBS Denver, the total death toll was at seven on Friday, Sept. 20 with three people missing and presumed dead and 82 people still unaccounted for in Larimer County.
President Obama declared Colorado in a state of emergency and ordered aid to be provided for the state. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided $12.3 million dollars to the relief effort so far.
Colorado native Ardisia Knowles, a University of Tampa junior and secondary education major, was affected by the flooding in her hometown of Aurora, Colo.
“Many of my family and friends’ homes were affected by the flooding,” Knowles said. “At my home in particular, our basement had flooded and we lost nearly half of our belongings. I’m thankful that my family and friends are physically alright and that no one got truly harmed.”
The cities of Aurora and Lyons were some of the hardest hit communities in the state. The Colorado National Guard was needed to airlift thousands of Lyons residents out of dangerous zones, as reported by CBS Denver.
Before the floods had reached their worst point, schools were closed due to the worsening conditions. The University of Colorado’s campus was closed on Thursday, Sept. 12 and remained closed through the following Sunday.
“In some places, there is still water on the roads, and it’s so bad that schools have closed down for the entire week,” Knowles said. “My boyfriend’s school in particular shut down, and the students evacuated the campus because they weren’t allowed to use the water.”
Mollie Putnam, a junior film and arts media major from Boulder, Colo., had friends and neighbors affected by the treacherous floods.
“Houses two minutes away from mine were evacuated and roads everywhere were completely washed through,” Putnam said. “A girl from the high school I went to was in a car that got trapped in the flood, and two teenagers that were in the car passed away.”
CBS Denver reported that as the flooding slowly decreases, roads are reopening and allowing victims who have been using the shelters to go back to their homes.
The aftermath of these tragic floods not only includes the devastation of homes, buildings and roads but also the effects of multiple oil spills. An estimated 22,060 gallons of oil have been spilled, which were prompted by the flooding, according to CBS Denver. These spills will have a tremendously adverse effect on the environment as well as the infrastructure of Colorado.
These devastating floods are among the multiple tragedies Colorado has had to deal with in recent years, from raging wildfires to the shooting in Aurora. Despite these disasters, Colorado citizens and communities continue to band together.
“The people of Colorado are a united group of people. At least in my neighborhood, I have noticed that when there is crisis, the theater shooting for example, we band together and help each other out,” Knowles said. “The floods may have shattered homes, but I don’t think they shattered our hope. I have faith that, just as always, we will unite and do what we can to help each other.”