TELLER COUNTY — The Teller County Coroner told News5 on Wednesday there have been two deaths in the county directly related to last week's winter storm.
Coroner Stephen Tomsky said one Woodland Park man died after suffering a medical emergency while trying to shovel his driveway on Saturday. He said another man in Florissant died while trying to get to his car to go to the hospital during a medical emergency on Monday. The coroner said the man could not get through the snow to his car.
The identities of the two men have not been released.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said some remote areas in the county are still recovering a week after the storm started. He said there are still residents unable to leave their homes in the southern and backcountry parts of Teller County due to all of the snow and plows are having trouble reaching them.
“Some of those snow drifts are upwards of ten feet tall. The equipment getting in there, we’re having breakdowns and even a lot of the contract companies are having a hard time getting into those areas," said Sheriff Mikesell.
Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams said the county is extending its local disaster emergency declaration until all residents in rural areas are accounted for. The state of emergency was first declared on March 15 and allows the state to help with funding if storm damages reach a certain level.
County officials do not know how many people are still stuck in their homes but said crews are working around the clock to get through the snow to them.
“There are still people now that we’re trying to get to. Good news is the internet is working for a lot of folks, the electricity is on for everybody so we’re able to talk to people and keep them calm," said Commissioner Williams.
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