Floodwaters threatened communities across the Four Corners region Friday, with rescuers pulling people from rooftops and homes while evacuation orders were issued in parts of northern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that evacuations were ordered Friday morning in several parts of San Juan County.
In San Juan County, New Mexico, boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles were being used in rescues, according to The Guardian’s report. County spokesperson Devin Neeley said some homes had 3 or 4ft of water inside and that more water was coming. About 600 households were told to evacuate in Farmington, where areas along the San Juan River were closed.
The Guardian reported that the National Weather Service issued a flood warning across west central Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado. National Guard members were deployed to assist with flooding in the state, and mandatory evacuations were prompted along four rivers, including the San Juan River through Pagosa Springs.
Authorities also warned residents against traveling. The Guardian reported that the Archuleta County sheriff’s office said water levels were beginning to recede but that many roads remained impassable and unsafe. The evacuation check-in center was inaccessible, and officials directed evacuees to an alternative location in Pagosa Springs.
Flooding also affected Hurricane, Utah, where reddish-brown water entered or surrounded about 80 homes and 50 recreational vehicles, according to the Guardian. Hurricane officials said bridges, culverts, public roads and electrical power boxes had been damaged or affected, while the full extent of the damage and possible displacement remained under assessment.
The Guardian reported that the flooding followed weeks of heavy rain after a summer drought. A National Weather Service meteorologist told the publication that the region was saturated and could not absorb much more rainfall.