The number of people missing or “unaccounted for” amid what experts are calling a 1000-year flood event in Colorado is now more than 1200, according to state newspapers and officials.

The number of official deaths related to the flooding is now at six people.

Coming on the heels of forest fires and drought in the state, the rare late summer rains have created the ‘perfect storm’ for what scientists see as a climate change-driven disaster.

With even more rain expected in some areas on Monday, the disaster-stricken western state continues to brace for high water, and rescuers are saying harsh conditions are still preventing them from reaching hard-hit areas.

“The situation has deteriorated,” Boulder County Emergency Management spokesman Andrew Barth said late Sunday. “There’s a heavy, heavy fog, and rain is coming down hard.”

And the Denver Post reports:

For those stranded by the floods or needing rescue, authorities are urging them to use “white sheets, reflective mirrors, flares and signal fires to alert helicopter pilots to their locations,” according to the Boulder Daily Camera.