It started with some rain. And then some more rain. And then some more.

By Tuesday, eight days of torrential downpours had washed away roads, bridges, and communication lines in counties around the Boulder and Larimer areas of north-central Colorado.

Eight people are confirmed dead, according to Reuters. Hundreds more remain unaccounted for, although authorities believe most are alive but unable to communicate with friends and relatives.

In the wake of the flash floods come these sobering images of a state underwater.

An aerial view of vehicles submerged along the South Platte River near Greenley. | September 15 (REUTERS/John Wark)

Jake Bennett drops a sand bag to help funnel water down a street in Boulder. | September 12 (REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell)

A home and car are stranded after a flash flood in Coal Creek, near Golden, destroyed the bridge. | September 12 (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

A section of Highway 72 is missing after a flash flood tore through Coal Creek. | September 12 (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

A road crew works on a stretch of highway washed out by flooding along the South Platte River in Weld County. | September 14 (AP Photo/John Wark)

A destroyed house in Jamestown. | September 15 (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

Emergency workers and neighbor Jeff Writer, left, rescue Will Pitner (in chair) after he spent a night trapped outside his home at the base of Boulder Canyon. | September 13 (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)