Arapahoe County warns of flooding dangers thanks to rain

This year Colorado has gotten a lot of rain, which means the Arapahoe County Office of Emergency Management has been sending out a lot of alerts to keep their residents safe.

"A little bit unprecedented for this time or this many that we're getting," said Ashley Cappel the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for Arapahoe County.

All that water has transformed the way the county looks and created new hazards for travelers and residents.

 "A lot of our creek beds, especially in the eastern portion of the county, are more often referred to as dry creek beds and haven't had water rapidly flowing for any length of time since the 60s," said Cappel.

Bridges and roads have been washed out, and cars have been swept away in running water. One woman died when a usually dry creek bed suddenly overflowed on County Road 97 and East 6th Avenue.

Arapahoe County says it's a sad reminder that as little as 12 inches of water can pose a danger to drivers.

"Any water whether it's standing fast moving water on a roadway is not recommended to pass through with your vehicle," said Cappel.

Flooding isn't just a danger to motorists; the county is closely watching the town of Deer Trail to make sure it doesn't flood because of a dam that is nearing capacity.

Given the way this season has gone, they say flash flooding can happen anywhere so they are asking everyone to stay vigilant and warnings.

"When something does come out from us that says evacuate. It doesn't mean evacuate when you feel like it. It means evacuate now," said Cappel.

They say make sure you stay plugged into media and your phone's alerts to get warnings as soon as they are issued.

"If you have turned those off on your cellphone I highly encourage you to turn those back on," said Cappel