Skies began to clear Monday, but Southwest flooding continued to pose risks after days of intense rain sent torrents across typically dry terrain, forcing evacuations and keeping swift-water rescue teams busy.
Officials said cleanup and repairs could take weeks. One person died in the floodwaters and police said a second death appeared to be weather-related, pending confirmation.
Southwest flooding tied to El Niño
The National Weather Service warned that isolated downpours were still possible across the Four Corners region, where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet, as El Niño disrupted usual weather patterns.
Damage was extensive in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a town of about 2,000. Forecasters feared the San Juan River might exceed the level that nearly destroyed the town in 1911. The river peaked at 16.81 feet Sunday, about a foot below that historic mark, flooding downtown streets before receding Monday, according to the weather service.
Raging water lifted an entire home from its foundation and carried it downstream until it slammed into a pedestrian bridge. A road bridge west of town partially collapsed, said Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Vicki Shaffer.
Rescuers pulled dozens of people to safety across the region, including by helicopter. Shaffer said searches were continuing for anyone who might be stranded. “That will continue, just like last week, until we’re sure that everybody who was trapped by the floodwaters has been rescued,” she said.
The Colorado Department of Transportation reopened several bridges and roads late Monday. Evacuation orders remained in effect, Shaffer said, though the number of affected residents was not immediately available. Pagosa Springs had lifted an earlier evacuation order from a prior storm, then reinstated it Saturday.
More than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell on the Four Corners states and Nevada over the past two weeks, according to calculations by former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue.
Evacuations, voting changes and river crests
With Election Day approaching, officials in Colorado and Utah set up alternative voting plans for residents who were evacuated or cut off by flooding. Utah officials said people in hard-hit San Juan County would be allowed to vote electronically because some may be unable to reach polling places.
In New Mexico, evacuations were ordered along the San Juan River, which officials warned was still rising and could crest Tuesday through Wednesday. The village of Chama was also evacuated and isolated by road closures.
Along Colorado’s Animas River, residents in low-lying areas were ordered out. Durango police Chief Brice Current said authorities were checking on people who stayed behind. “There’s still a lot of people stranded,” he said.
Durango resident Willow Bradner said her family moved to a hotel after floodwater filled their basement and more than 2 feet of mud surrounded the house. “We went from ‘we’re going to be safe’ to ‘pack a go-bag’ in 45 minutes,” she said. On Monday, about 200 neighbors turned out with shovels and skid steers to dig out, resident Greg Ewing said, praising the community’s response.
Records fall across Arizona
Record rainfall was reported in Arizona, including 7.3 inches over two days at Workman Creek in wilderness near Phoenix. Flagstaff recorded 5.15 inches in two days, contributing to its wettest Nov. 1 on record. The city typically only sees a few days each year with more than 1 inch of rain, said Jennifer Tate of the NWS Weather Prediction Center. “What really stood out to me was that this wasn’t localized. It was a very broad system that brought a lot of rain to a lot of places,” she said.
In Flagstaff, where rain fell nearly nonstop Sunday, a man was seen falling into floodwaters entering a drainage tunnel. Police said the body of Williams Singavarapu, 73, of New York, was found Monday about 15 blocks from where he disappeared. A second man was found dead Monday in a drainage area and is believed to have died due to the weather, pending an official ruling.
In Sedona, floodwaters trapped several people in their homes and heavy rain washed out a section of highway. Near Camp Verde, Doug Michaels said he moved his camper and family to safety as water rose at an RV park, but others lost homes and belongings. “It’s devastating,” he said. “People lost their homes. The one lady doesn’t even know where her camper is. It went down the river.”
Swift-water rescues were also reported in Tucson, where meteorologist Aaron Hardin said the area saw the equivalent of two or three months of rain in a few days.
Emergency declarations and Navajo Nation impacts
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statewide emergency declaration Monday after earlier declaring emergencies in Navajo and Coconino counties. The governors of New Mexico and Colorado asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to unlock federal assistance.
On the Navajo Nation near Montezuma Creek, Utah, Ryan Benally spent the weekend building earthen berms to keep water away from his parents’ home. The barriers held, though sections of the family’s small cattle ranch flooded. Benally, an assistant professor at Utah State University, has coordinated deliveries of bottled water, waterproof boots, toiletries and other supplies to shelters, and said washed-out routes were making it harder to reach families who stayed at home.
Benally said his parents, both in their 60s, have never seen flooding this severe. “These storms have been one after another after another,” he said. “It’s compounding in ways people out here just weren’t prepared for.”
Contributors to this report are located across the affected region. For coverage of a very different kind of deadly incident, see ‘Man in the Mirror’ reexamines 2023 NYC subway killing.
