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http://www.cbsnews.com/...
While touring the area of the Colorado foothills devastated by deadly flooding on Saturday with the state's congressional delegation, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's helicopter stopped to rescue a pair of flood stranded groups, the governor said at a press conference Saturday.
Praising the ability of his pilot to "get inside of four acorns in a parking space," Hickenlooper said they dropped in to save the two groups of six people total after they were spotted by Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.
"Congressman Gardner, clearly with the best eyes of any of us, saw some civilians waving, trying to get rescued," Hickenlooper said.
Hickenlooper also said Saturday he had spoken with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who "was adamant that the $5 million that was released Friday was just the beginning" of federal assistance. President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration and ordered federal aid for Colorado.
Additionally, the Colorado governor said he had consulted with his counterpart in Vermont who is experienced in dealing with such disasters, and came away believe "we're going to come back and rebuild better than it was before." - CBS News, 9/15/13
Hickenlooper has been keeping the President updated about the floods in Colorado:
http://www.enewspf.com/...
Today, the President called Governor John Hickenlooper to receive an update on the situation in Colorado and express his concern for the citizens impacted by the historic flooding, including those individuals still missing. The President expressed his condolences to the families and friends who lost a loved one and commended the first responders working tirelessly to save lives and protect the Colorado communities.
The President reinforced his commitment to providing the necessary federal support to the state and local efforts. The President last night declared a major disaster in Colorado and authorized Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the affected area, including the availability of Federal funds for affected individuals in Boulder County.
At the President's direction, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate will travel to Colorado tomorrow to ensure the federal government is closely coordinating with the state and local response. - eNews Park Forest, 9/15/13
Hickenlooper has also been crediting FEMA's fast response to the disaster. Here's the latest news on the floods:
http://www.cnn.com/...
"Mother Nature is not cooperating."
That was the message Sunday from frustrated authorities battling even more bad weather in flood-hit Colorado.
Heavy clouds and rain grounded helicopters, slowing the search for the nearly 500 people who remain unaccounted for. Authorities fear as many as six may be dead.
"Mother Nature is not cooperating with us today, and currently we are not flying. But tomorrow if we get that window of opportunity, which is sounds like we might get, we have the horsepower to hit it hard," incident commander Shane Del Grosso told reporters.
Up to 1,000 people are waiting to be evacuated, he said.
In the meantime, authorities are looking for opportunities to get in by ground and planning their next steps.
But they are waiting for their break.
"We need a change in the weather pattern ... to really go after what needs to be done out there," Del Grosso said. - CNN, 9/15/13
If you would like to donate to rescue relief efforts, you can click here:
http://www.redcross.org/...