PHOTO: Trapped School Children By Colorado Floods Reunite With Their Parents

Nearly one hundred school children trapped by deadly Colorado floods joyfully reunited with their parents after being airlifted to safety as more rain forecast threatens further destruction 

• Almost 100 children and teachers left stranded by flash flooding near to Boulder, Colorado, rescued in dramatic airlift
• Heavy rains that started Wednesday sparked flash-flooding from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs
• Residents urged to leave now or risk being stranded for weeks without water or power
  
• The National Weather service says there has been over 12 inches of rainfall since September 1, breaking the 73-year-old record for the month
• Surging floodwaters in Boulder led to the evacuation of about 4,000 residents late Thursday
  
• President Obama has approved a federal disaster assistance request for the area and National Guard have been dispatched

Almost 100 school school children and teachers left stranded for two days by the massive flooding that hit around Boulder, Colorado were airlifted to safety on Saturday.

The students from Fireside Elementary School in Louisville, Colorado - around 10 miles to the southeast of Boulder - were trapped when flood-waters burst over roads at an outdoor education center in Jamestown.

The 85 fifth graders and 14 adults were lifted from the mountainside by helicopter and taken to Boulder Municipal Airport where they were loaded onto buses and reunited with their emotional parents at Fireside Elementary on Saturday evening.

'All the kids are down from the mountains and either delivered here or en route,' said Briggs Gamblin, a spokesman for the Boulder Valley School District.

Despite being trapped by the rising flood-waters, the children ate tacos with all the fixings for dinner on Friday evening and were kept occupied by a dance party.

'Last night around 5 o'clock we got a request from the National Guard for assistance,' said Major Earl Brown, deputy public affairs officer for the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson.

In total, seven helicopters, including four Blackhawks, were used to airlift the children and adults out of the area.

'We're just a part of a whole team effort to help those folks out there in Boulder County,' said Brown to NBC News.

There are still people unaccounted for in the aftermath of the devastating floods in Colorado, as the state's National Guard said that they had rescued 800 people since the flooding began.

Many residents are still stranded in their homes as rescue workers try to reach them. Boulder county officials fear rescue attempts will be hampered by the extra 4in of rain due on Sunday. 

Rescue teams are warning people in some Colorado towns isolated by devastating flooding against remaining there, telling them that they could face weeks without basic supplies, including running water and electricity.

Helicopters and truck convoys of the National Guard carried the admonition Saturday into paralyzed canyon communities where thousands of stranded residents were eager to escape the Rocky Mountain foothills. But not everybody was willing to go. Dozens of people in hard hit Jamestown wanted to stay to watch over their homes.

Authorities made clear that residents who chose not to leave might not get another chance for a while. Rescuers won't go back for people who insist on staying, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said.

'We're not trying to force anyone from their home. We're not trying to be forceful, but we're trying to be very factual and definitive about the consequences of their decision, and we hope that they will come down,' Pelle said.

Across the foothills, rescuers made progress against the floodwaters. But they were still unable to go up many narrow canyon roads that were either underwater or washed out.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration and ordered federal aid for Colorado. The White House said in a statement Saturday night that the action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Boulder County. The government said that other counties could be added later.

The city of Longmont ordered a curfew from 10 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday in flood zones and evacuation areas, urging residents to remain indoors.

On Saturday, the surge of water reached the plains east of the mountains, cutting off more communities and diverting some rescue operations.

The military put more troops on the ground and helicopters in the air to aid in the search-and-rescue effort.

By Saturday night, 1,750 people and 300 pets had been evacuated from Boulder and Larimer County, National Guard Lt. James Goff said.

The airlifts will continue Sunday with helicopter crews expanding their searches east to include Longmont, Fort Collins and Weld County.

A sheriff's office spokesman said  some residents may have reached safety but not been able to contact relatives to tell them.