A New Zealander living in Boulder, Colorado, says she feared she might die as water rushed into her rapidly flooding apartment.
Hundreds of people are still missing and thousands have been evacuated in the state after huge floods brought on by heavy rain in just a few days.
Flood damage to Suzanne Morris' apartment. Photo: r
Suzanne Morris and her partner Jeff were keeping a close eye on a nearby creek which had gone from a trickle to a raging torrent in just a few hours.
She told Checkpoint at about midnight they decided to leave.
"We thought we'd be able to get out, but from the time Jeff noticed the quick rise to the time it started flooding into our apartment like a tsunami was honestly a matter of seconds."
Ms Morris says she then struggled to help a neighbour who was stuck in her apartment by the water.
Torrential rain halts rescue
Meanwhile more torrential rain has grounded rescue helicopters in Colorado, slowing the search for hundreds of people unaccounted for after the massive flooding.
More than 1500 homes have been destroyed and more than 17,000 damaged after days of flooding.
The Colorado Office of Emergency Management says at least six people have died and the death toll is likely to rise.
