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Rising waters endanger homes, roads Continued from page 1. estimated totaled 250 to 300 people, were asked to voluntarily evacuate. Half of them took heed attd left. The other half remained to try and forti- fy their homes against the water and to help with the sandbagging efforts. The majority of those families who evacuated found shelter with friends and family, Blakeman said. The American Red Cross, which had set up temporary headquarters at the Craig Fire and Rescue Station, found hotel rooms for seven fatui- ties who had nowhere else to go. Corriveau estimated that at least one-third of the eastern pan of the county was effected. No injuries were reported, but some area roads and highways have sustained seri- ousdamage. The worst damage was reported on County Road 7 about 12 miles northwest of Craig. Blakeman said the road was under at least four feet of water and it may take county crews as long as two or three weeks to reopen the damaged road. Today, the joint emergency operations team will start sorting through the damage and determine what needs to be done. The team will reconvene in the Craig Ci[y Council Chambers at 4 p.m. today. Comveau said today is a day to watch and see what happens. The, biggest contingency may be the weather. Cloudy skies moved in over Craig today, with rain start- ing about 9:30 a.nt. Notvan Larson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction, said he doesn't Coresee much rain. "1 wouldn't expect it to be par- ticularly heavy;' he said. "The storm center is passing south of the state. The Craig area and the notlh- west plateau are removed from the action. To put a number on i[ would be uicky ... 1 would expect less [Iran aquarter-inch" The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning effective until midnight today. The clouds and cooler temper- atures may actually be more of a help than a hindrance. If the sky stays cloudy and the mercury does- n't rise, the melting may slow, Larson said. And [he early melting and flooding may be a blessing in May. Of course that depends on' what weather hits the area between now and then. Corriveau said the early melting may mean all the snow at lower elevations is melted when the typical flood season arrives in May. But if it snows again, and the ground is saturated, the county and city could be in for more water coursing down the streets. As residents star to dry out from the flood, city and county offi- cials asked everyone to be safe and smart. Residents are warned if they smell natural gas to leave their home immediately without turning any electrical appliance on or off and call 91I from a neighbor's house. Blakeman and Corriveau also cautioned residents about elec- trical hazards such as water in the outlets. For any other problems or con- cerns, residents are asked to call the Craig Police Department or the Moffat County Sheriff's Department, depending on where they live. "We may not be able to answer alt their questions, but we should be able to direct people to who they need to call;' Comveau said. Craig Fire/Rescue members Randy Decker,'left, and Mike Washington slosh through flood waters after diverting water from the home of Pam Self at Ninth and Washington streets. Rescuers worked until 3:30 a.m.