6 more people found alive after floods

DENVER -- The final six people who were unaccounted for after massive flooding in Colorado have been found safe and well, leaving only one person missing and presumed dead, authorities said Tuesday.

Eight deaths have been confirmed.

It was a remarkable outcome after a disaster that damaged or destroyed nearly 2,000 homes, washed out hundreds of miles of roads and left many small mountain towns completely cut off.

At one point, more than 1,200 people were listed as unaccounted for, but the list shrank quickly as people checked in after they were evacuated.

Air National Guard helicopters airlifted more than 3,000 people and nearly 900 pets to safety.

"We are really happy that we were able to clear all the missing folks," Larimer County sheriff's spokesman John Schulz said, adding that deputies were saddened by the deaths.

The woman who is missing and presumed dead is 60 and lived in hard-hit Big Thompson Canyon. Schulz said eyewitnesses saw the woman in the water, and searchers have found no trace of her. Her name hasn't been released.

The toll was dramatically lower than the 144 killed in 1976 when a flash flood thundered down Big Thompson Canyon. About a foot of rain fell at the head of the canyon in just four hours, triggering the deadliest flash flood in state history.

The difference was that this month's floods, which started in earnest Sept. 12, arose over a period of days, giving most people time to get to safety, Schulz said.

The National Weather Service said between 7 and 18 inches of rain fell during an eight-day span, primarily in Larimer and Boulder counties.

A section of highway is shown Monday near Boulder, Colo., during a tour of the area with Vice President Joe Biden. (Ed Andrieski ~ Associated Press)

Five of the final six people who were unaccounted for contacted authorities after their names were made public, Schulz said. Investigators found the sixth person after realizing they had been working from an incorrect spelling of his last name.

No official estimate has been released on the cost of the floods, which wiped out 200 miles of state roads and 50 state bridges.

State transportation officials say the road damage will top $100 million. Colorado's congressional delegation is seeking to raise the $100 million cap on disaster-related federal assistance for road repairs.

The floods also are blamed for spills of about 34,000 gallons of oil in northern Colorado oil fields, including two mishaps found during the weekend, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said.

The commission said it is tracking 11 notable leaks. About 1,300 oil and gas wells remain shut down.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it had approved $22.1 million in individual assistance, most of it to help people to repair homes or find temporary rentals. More than 15,600 people have applied for FEMA relief.

Vice President Joe Biden flew over some of the damage Monday and promised federal aid won't stop even if a possible shutdown of the federal government occurs.

"I promise you, I promise you, there will be help," he said after his tour in an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

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