Gallery: 50 photos from the 2013 Colorado flood

DENVER (KDVR) — On Sept. 11, 2013, Colorado experienced its worst flood of all time. It ranked as the 10th-deadliest flood and took the lives of nine people while causing damage and destroying homes, highways, businesses and everything in between.

Here are 50 of some of the most shocking, heartbreaking and moving pictures from the 2013 flood.

A road crew works on a stretch of highway washed out by flooding along the South Platte River in Weld County, Colorado near Greeley, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. Hundreds of roads in the area have been damaged or destroyed by the floodwaters that have affected parts of a 4,500-square-mile (11,655-square-kilometer) area an area the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (AP Photo/John Wark)
FILE – In this Sept. 13, 2013 file photo, cattle find dry ground near Fort Collins, Colo., as flooding continues to devastate the Front Range and thousands are forced to evacuate with an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed. The floods that ravaged Colorado this past week also took a toll on the state’s agricultural communities. (AP Photo/Colorado Heli-Ops, Dennis Pierce) MANDATORY CREDIT
Boulder Creek roils at high speed after days of record rain and flooding, at the base of Boulder Canyon, Friday Sept. 13, 2013 in Boulder, Colo. People in Boulder were ordered to evacuate as water rose to dangerous levels amid a storm system that has been dropping rain for a week. Rescuers struggled to reach dozens of people cut off by flooding in mountain communities, while residents in the Denver area and other areas were warned to stay off flooded streets. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Debris floats down the overflowing St. Vrain River following overnight flash flooding, one mile east of Lyons, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. Flash flooding in Colorado has left widespread high waters that are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents in Lyons and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A section of highway is washed out by flooding along the South Platte River in Weld County, Colorado near Greeley, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. Hundreds of roads in the area have been damaged or destroyed by the floodwaters that have affected parts of a 4,500-square-mile (11,655-square-kilometer) area an area the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (AP Photo/John Wark)
Boulder Creek roils at high speed after days of record rain and flooding, at the base of Boulder Canyon, Colo., Friday Sept. 13, 2013 in Boulder. People in Boulder were ordered to evacuate as water rose to dangerous levels amid a storm system that has been dropping rain for a week. Rescuers struggled to reach dozens of people cut off by flooding in mountain communities, while residents in the Denver area and other areas were warned to stay off flooded streets. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
In this Sept. 17, 2013 photo, a crude oil storage tank lies on its side in flood water along the South Platte River, in Weld County, Colo. Hundreds of natural gas and oil wells along with pipelines are shut down by flooding, as state and federal inspectors gauge the damage and look for potential contamination from inundated oil fields. (AP Photo/John Wark)
2013 flood (Photo courtesy of Larimer County Office of Emergency Management)
2013 flood (Photo courtesy of Larimer County Office of Emergency Management)
A tractor is bogged down in mud and water from flooding on the South Platte River on a farm near Greeley, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. Heavy rains continued on Sunday. Broad swaths of farmland have become lakes, as the raging South Platte and Poudre rivers surround more homes.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Brother and sister Patrick Tinsley and Mary Kerns walk into Boulder, Colo., from their mountain community Magnolia, where road access is shut off by debris from days of record rain and flooding, at the base of Boulder Canyon, Colo., Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. People in Boulder were ordered to evacuate as water rose to dangerous levels amid a storm system that has been dropping rain for a week. Rescuers struggled to reach dozens of people cut off by flooding in mountain communities, while residents in the Denver area and other areas were warned to stay off flooded streets. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A home leans into flood waters that have destroyed a section of U.S. Highway 34, top, near Greeley, Colo., Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. The surrounding area was especially affected by recent flooding, with more than 400 lane-miles of state highway and more than 30 bridges destroyed or impassable. (AP Photo/John Wark)
Residence of an apartment house work to divert flood water from their building in Boulder, Colo., on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013. Flash flooding in Colorado has cut off access to towns, closed the University of Colorado in Boulder and left at least three people dead. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Will Pitner is rescued by emergency workers, and neighbor Jeff Writer, left, after a night trapped sheltering outside on high ground above his home as it filled with water from a surge of water, after days of record rain and flooding, at the base of Boulder Canyon, Colo., Friday Sept. 13, 2013 in Boulder. Flash flooding in Colorado has left at least three people reportedly dead and the widespread high waters have hampered emergency workers’ access to affected communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
This aerial photo shows flood damage in Greeley Colo. during a helicopter tour by Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. John Hickenlooper, and FEMA officials, of flood-ravaged areas , Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Kathryn Scott Osler, Pool)
FILE – In this Sept. 13, 2013 file photo, cars lay mired in mud deposited by floods in Lyons, Colo. Little more than a year after Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper assured the world his wildfire-ravaged state was still open for business, he may have to throw another lifeline to keep the states billion-dollar tourism industry afloat. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
High water levels flow down Boulder Creek following overnight flash flooding in downtown Boulder, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. The widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents and motorists in Boulder and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
As heavy rains return after somewhat abating for two days, a field fills with water from overflowing creeks nearby, outside Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. The National Weather Service says up to 2 inches of rain could fall Sunday, creating a risk of more flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Highway 36 south of Lyons, Colorado is flooded on Sept. 13, 2013 (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies)
A city worker talks on his phone while surveying high water levels on Boulder Creek following overnight flash flooding in downtown Boulder, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. Flash flooding in Colorado has left two people dead and the widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents and motorists in Boulder and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Two women are hoisted into a Blackhawk helicopter as they are rescued near Jamestown, Colo., on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 during a helicopter search of the area devastated by flooding in the state. The Office of Emergency Management says that the weather is expected to be clear enough to allow helicopters to take to the skies to rescue flood victims. (AP Photo/Denver Post,Joe Amon, POOL)
The St. Vrain Creek and Highway 66 in Platteville, Colorado on Sept. 14, 2013 during peak flood stages (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies)
This aerial photo shows flood damage in Greeley Colo. during a helicopter tour by Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. John Hickenlooper, and FEMA officials, of flood-ravaged areas , Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Kathryn Scott Osler, Pool)
Members of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Nebraska Task Force 1 look for missing people in a residential area now surrounded by floodwaters, west of Longmont, Colo., Tuesday Sept. 17, 2013. Searches continue for those missing in isolated Colorado towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
An abandoned car lies in the mud off a road destroyed by flood waters along the South Platte River east of Greeley, Colo, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. Northern Colorado’s broad agricultural expanses are especially affected, with more than 400 lane-miles of state highway and more than 30 bridges destroyed or impassable. (AP Photo/John Wark)
Members of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Nebraska Task Force 1 use probes to test for water depth, which in some places is as much as six feet, preparing to cross floodwaters looking for missing people in a residential area now surrounded by water, west of Longmont, Colo., Tuesday Sept. 17, 2013. Searches continue for those missing in isolated Colorado towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A flood victim is helped off of a helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Officials hope the number of missing will drop rapidly as communications are restored and people are evacuated throughout the region, as it did in Larimer County, where almost 250 people were lopped off a missing-persons list over the weekend, and Boulder County, where the list shrunk by 187 people. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
At sunrise, the St. Vrain creek flows past a bridge destroyed in flooding days earlier, in Longmont, Colo., Tuesday Sept. 17, 2013. Meanwhile elsewhere, searches continue for those missing in isolated Colorado mountain towns. The rains finally stopped, allowing many Colorado flood evacuees to return home to toppled houses and upended vehicles with the realization that rebuilding their lives will take months. Search crews, meanwhile, rescued hundreds more people stranded by floodwaters. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF CITY TO HYGIENE INSTEAD OF HYGEINE – Local man Joey Schendel, 19, looks for submerged items while helping neighbors salvage and clean their property in an area inundated after days of flooding, in Hygiene, Colo., Monday Sept. 16, 2013. Searches continue for missing people in isolated Colorado mountain towns. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A mudslide along the side of the highway leading into the mountain town of Estes Park, Colo., is shown Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. Estes Park town administrator Frank Lancaster said visitors who would normally flock there during the golden September days should stay away for at least a month, but it could take a year or longer for many of the mountain roadways to be repaired.(AP Photo/Jeri Clausing)
A flood victim walks off of a military helicopter at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
This aerial photo shows Highway 34 being destroyed toward Estes Park , Colo. as flooding continues to devastate the Colorado Front Range and thousands are forced to evacuate with an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Colorado Heli-Ops, Dennis Pierce) MANDATORY CREDIT
Homes are cut off from a nearby road in Lyons, Colo., as flooding continues to devastate the Front Range and thousands are forced to evacuate with an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/John Wark)
A road near Greeley, Colo., is overrun by water as flooding continues to devastate the Front Range and thousands are forced to evacuate with an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Colorado Heli-Ops, Dennis Pierce) MANDATORY CREDIT
A home near Longmont, Colo., is surrounded by water as flooding continues to devastate the Colorado Front Range as thousands are forced to evacuate with an unconfirmed number of structures destroyed Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Colorado Heli-Ops, Dennis Pierce) MANDATORY CREDIT
A torrent from the overflowing St. Vrain River approaches a bridge following overnight flash flooding, one mile east of Lyons, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. The widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents in Lyons and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A stranded car sits in the middle of Topaz Street A stranded car sits in the middle of Topaz Street A stranded car sits in the middle of Topaz Street A stranded car sits in the middle of Topaz Street September 13, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado. Heavy rains for the better part of week has fueled widespread flooding and evacuations in numerous Colorado towns, with the area reportedly already having received 15 inches of rain. Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)
A local resident looks out at a road washed out by a torrent of water following overnight flash flooding near Left Hand Canyon, south of Lyons, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. The widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents in Lyons and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Water rushes through a destroyed home as resident Holly Rob, center, and her neighbor and friend Pam Bowers salvage belongings after floods left their town’s homes and infrastructure in a shambles Lyons, Colo., Friday Sept. 13, 2013. Days of heavy rains and flash floods which washed out all the town’s bridges have left Lyons residents stranded with minimal access to help, and sectioned off the town into several pieces not reachable by one to the other. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Local residents look over a road washed out by a torrent of water following overnight flash flooding near Left Hand Canyon, south of Lyons, Colo., Thursday, Sept 12, 2013. The widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents in Lyons and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered northern Colorado. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Flood victims are helped off of military helicopters at the Boulder Municipal Airport in Boulder, Colo., on on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, after being rescued. Thousands of people remained stranded by high water and washed out roads in the state.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
FILE- In this Sept. 17, 2013, file photo, heavy equipment works on a road damaged by flooding during a helicopter search of the area around Boulder, Colo. Colorado transportation officials are scrambling to replace key mountain highways with at least gravel before the first winter storms hit as early as October, but rebuilding every flood-damaged road and bridge in the mountains and plains will have to wait until 2014 _ or beyond. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Joe Amon, Pool)
Railroad tracks are undercut by flooding in Longmont, Colo., on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. Rescuers continued efforts to reach stranded victims, while electricity and phone services were being restored to ravaged areas, allowing residents to contact family, friends or authorities. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Elizabeth Dipert, left, helps her neighbor Katie Byrne, center, sift through thrown out flood refuse looking for valuables, at Byrne’s home on Wednesday Sept. 18, 2013, in Longmont, Colo. Statewide, only about 22,000 homeowners have flood insurance policies, FEMA spokesman Jerry DeFelice said. With 2.2 million housing units in Colorado, according to Census figures, that means about 1 percent of the states residences have flood coverage. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Four year old Elijah Obrien looks at his muddy basement which was damaged when recent floods swept through Longmont, Colo., Wednesday Sept. 18, 2013. As water recedes and flows east onto the Colorado plains, rescuers are shifting their focus from emergency airlifts to trying to find the hundreds of people still unaccounted for after last week’s devastating flooding. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
2013 flood (Photo courtesy of Larimer County Office of Emergency Management)
In this Sept. 24, 2013, photo, a toy and a shoe lay in mud inside one of the many homes now declared uninhabitable due to permanent damage at a trailer park in Evans, Colo. The majority of the residents in the trailer park are immigrants who didnt have flood insurance, and because some are not citizens or legal residents, they cant get government help. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
In this Sept. 24, 2013, photo, immigrant worker Raul Hernandez, and Sonia Marquez, an organizer with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, survey the flood damage inside Hernandez’s home, which was declared uninhabitable due to permanent damage at a trailer park in Evans, Colo. The majority of the residents in the trailer park are immigrants who didnt have flood insurance, and because some are not citizens or legal residents, they cant get government help. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Lisa Dunlap cleans mud off of toys in Longmont, Colo., on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. Hundreds of evacuees were allowed past National Guard roadblocks Thursday to find a scene of tangled power lines, downed utility poles, and mud-caked homes and vehicles. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
ADDS MAGS OUT- This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows two men carrying bottled water down a street in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. Days of rain and floods have transformed the outdoorsy mountain communities in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain foothills from a paradise for backpackers and nature lovers into a disaster area with little in the way of supplies or services. Roadways have crumbled, scenic bridges are destroyed, and most shops are closed.(AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)