(CNN) — [Breaking news alert, 9:12 a.m. ET Tuesday]
A 46-year-old Colorado man who had been presumed dead in the aftermath of the Colorado flooding has been found alive, authorities said Tuesday. The man says he managed to climb out of a window before his home was swept away by floodwaters, authorities said.
[Previously published story]
The body of a 79-year-old woman was found this past weekend in the aftermath of the Colorado flooding, Larimer County authorities said Monday.
The body of Evelyn Starner, of Cedar Cove, was discovered on a bank of the Big Thompson River, the sheriff’s office said.
It is the first confirmed fatality in the county due to the floods, and it brings the storm-related death toll in the state to eight. One other person in the county is currently listed as missing and presumed dead. A man previously listed as presumed dead checked in with authorities and is alive and well, the sheriff’s office said.
One other Cedar Cover resident, a 60-year-old woman, is still missing and presumed dead.
Vice President Joe Biden visited Colorado on Monday and took a one-hour aerial tour to view the damage. He also checked on recovery efforts.
“Once all these cameras are gone, once these press conferences are done, FEMA and the Red Cross are still going to be here until we make you whole. Until we make it right for you,” Biden told Colorado residents.
Biden said the federal government had approved $35 million thus far for road rebuilding and other projects. He said those funds wouldn’t be affected by a possible government shutdown.
Torrential rains fell September 12 in mountainous areas north of Denver, and such downpours persisted for several more days, adding up to 18.1 inches in parts of Boulder County and 15.6 inches in Adams County, Gov. John Hickenlooper said.
The heavy rainfall spurred flash floods that turned picturesque canyons into funnels that deluged towns downstream and left hundreds stranded. More than a week later, many remained marooned — cut off from the rest of the world thanks to floodwaters that wiped out roads and bridges.
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