Evacuations Expand as Rain Continues Falling in Colorado

LYONS, Colo. (AP) — As rain keeps falling over Colorado, the threat of flooding is prompting emergency officials to issue evacuation calls to thousands more homes.

The city of Fort Collins is urging residents of three neighborhoods to evacuate this morning after a surge on a local river sent water over the top of a reservoir.

Late-night calls went out in Boulder and the village of Eldorado Springs as nearby creeks rose to dangerous levels, while a number of towns in the Rocky Mountain foothills have been cut off and are without power. The Colorado National Guard began trucking people out of town of Lyons last night.

Residents along the Big Thompson Canyon in Larimer County, scene of the deadliest flash flood in state history, were also evacuated. And early this morning, the National Weather Service warned of more flash flooding in Loveland.

Recent wildfires have worsened the flooding, stripping the landscape of ground cover that would normally absorb the rain.