Colorado Floods Leave Three Dead, Thousands Displaced

President Barack Obama approved federal disaster aid late Thursday for Colorado towns affected by a series of flash floods.

Triggered by days of heavy rain across Colorado's Front Range mountains, the flooding has left at least three dead and thousands displaced, Boulder officials report.

According to Fox News, roughly 4,000 people living around the mouth of Boulder Canyon were notified to head to higher ground late Thursday.

Meanwhile, Boulder County spokesman James Burrus said 8,000 telephone numbers were called with a message to evacuate, though it's unclear how many people that represents.

Some towns, including Lyons and Jamestown, have been isolated by the water and are currently without power, CBS News reports. Such dire circumstances has prompted a response by the Colorado National Guard, which, according to KDVR, rolled into Lyons Thursday night with humanitarian aid.

"There's no way out of town. There's no way into town. So, basically, now we're just on an island," Jason Stillman, a Lyons resident, told Fox News. Stillman and his fiancee were forced to evacuate their home at about 3 a.m. Friday after a nearby river began to overflow into the street. The rest of the town was quick to follow as hours later authorities ordered everyone in the town of roughly 2,000 to evacuate with the help of the National Guard, KDVR reported.

Water has been flowing over the tops of five dams around the town, KDVR cited Boulder County spokeswoman Gabi Boerkircher as saying. Though they have not broken, Boerkircher assured the public that emergency officials are monitoring them closely.

Meanwhile, mudslides are prohibiting officials from reaching Jamestown, Boerkircher said according to Fox News.

By signing an emergency declaration, Obama freed both financial aid and the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in disaster relief efforts.

National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Dankers said the rain was produced by a low pressure system that hunkered down over Nevada late Sunday, CBS News reports. Effects of the flooding have been compounded by the "burn scars" left by wildfires through the years, including 2010 and 2012, which incinerated the sponge-like layer of pine needles and twigs that normally soak up rain water immediately.