On 23 October, New Mexico officials reported ongoing rescues and evacuation notices for about 600 Farmington households, while rising rivers prompted mandatory evacuations in southwestern Colorado.
Flooding in the southwestern US forced evacuations and rooftop rescues on 23 October, with New Mexico officials describing people trapped in homes containing 3–4 feet (about 1–1.5 metres) of water. By 25 October, rivers were receding, but a new flood watch warned of further flooding risk, while San Juan County officials described sewage-contaminated mud and continuing power outages.
The Four Corners is where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. The flooding followed two months of intermittent heavy rain that ended a summer drought. Tropical moisture arriving from the Pacific had driven the repeated rain.
By 25 October, the National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for much of the region as another round of potentially heavy showers and thunderstorms was forecast, the Guardian said. The watch concerned possible flooding, while local officials expected swollen rivers to fall further after surging when rain increased on 21 October.
San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said receding floodwater had left mud and silt, much of it contaminated with sewage because of failures at wastewater plants. Power outages continued in multiple areas.
The county did not yet have official figures for damage to homes or the number of people evacuated. Neeley said he was not aware of any loss of life.
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About 600 Farmington households were told to evacuate on 23 October, city spokesperson Gina Intoppa said, and areas along the San Juan River were closed. National Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles—vehicles that travel on land and water—helped rescue people overnight and into 23 October. The number rescued was unknown. Neeley said crews took people from roofs and flooded homes as rivers rose beyond forecast peaks despite clearing skies.
In southwestern Colorado, mandatory evacuations covered areas along four rivers, including the San Juan through Pagosa Springs. Guard members were deployed, and Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in 11 counties. On 23 October, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to shelter in place: water was beginning to recede locally, but many roads remained impassable and unsafe.
Hurricane, in southwestern Utah, began cleaning up after declaring an emergency on 22 October. Floodwater reached about 80 homes in one neighborhood and 50 recreational vehicles in an RV park. Arizona tornadoes preceding the 23 October flooding tore off roofs, knocked trees onto houses and brought down power lines, injuring at least one person.
Kate Abbott, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Junction, Colorado, said that repeated rain had saturated the ground, leaving little capacity to absorb more water without flooding. Rocky areas with sparse vegetation are naturally prone to sudden flooding, but recent rain had increased the risk more widely. Abbott described it as the third or fourth round of similar moisture in as many weeks.
Alongside the forecast rain, restoring electricity remained a task ahead for San Juan County. Neeley said that residents would probably have to wait a few days for power to return.
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