Eight confirmed dead, 1,600 homes destroyed in Colorado floods

Search-and-rescue teams bolstered by National Guard troops fanned out across Colorado’s flood-stricken landscape on Monday, as a week of torrential rains blamed for eight deaths and the destruction of at least 1,600 homes finally gave way to sunny skies. Much of the evacuation effort was focused on remote foothill and canyon communities in north-central Colorado, where the bulk of nearly 12,000 people evacuated since last week were stranded due to washed-out roads, bridges and communication lines, state emergency officials said. The overall flood zone has encompassed 17 Colorado counties across a normally semi-arid region nearly the size of Delaware.