Historic Four Corners Flooding Forces Mass Evacuations and Helicopter Rescues as Rivers Hit Record Levels

FARMINGTON, N.M., Oct. 23 (TodayViralUSA) — Historic flooding swept across the Four Corners region on Friday, forcing hundreds of households from their homes, sending National Guard helicopters and boats into rescue operations, and prompting emergency declarations in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and on tribal lands in Arizona.

The flooding follows roughly two months of heavy rain that ended a summer drought where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. About 4 inches of rain has fallen on already saturated ground since Wednesday, and forecasters expect more storms through the weekend, the Associated Press reported.

Farmington at the center

Farmington, which sits where the San Juan and Animas rivers meet in northwestern New Mexico, has become the focal point of the emergency. City and county officials ordered evacuations for low-lying neighborhoods including Rancho de Animas, Pryor Lane and Railroad, and warned residents along both rivers to be ready to leave. San Juan County spokesman Devin Neeley estimated that about 1,500 residences had been evacuated countywide, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

“This is a once-in-a-generation time — this is singular and this is real,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe told reporters on Friday, adding that no deaths had been reported so far.

The National Weather Service said the San Juan River reached 23.17 feet at Shiprock and 14.5 feet near Farmington, well above major flood thresholds. An earlier flood warning said flooding of this extent on the river in New Mexico had not been seen since before Navajo Dam was completed in 1962.

Helicopter and boat rescues

New Mexico National Guard crews and state police have been plucking stranded residents from homes and vehicles. Law enforcement officials reported at least 60 rescues between Farmington and Bloomfield since Thursday afternoon, KOAT-TV reported. In Bloomfield, floodwaters also reached the town’s wastewater treatment plant, and officials warned that standing water may be contaminated with raw sewage.

On the Navajo Nation, emergency crews working with Arizona Department of Public Safety air rescue teams and local firefighters rescued seven families, 30 people in all, from flooded homes in Dennehotso, Arizona. The Hopi Tribe declared a state of emergency over damage to roads, bridges and homes.

Emergency declarations across the region

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared disaster emergencies in 11 counties and authorized National Guard members to help with rescues in the southwest of the state, NPR reported. In Archuleta County, home to Pagosa Springs, the sheriff’s office ordered mandatory evacuations of low-lying areas along several rivers. In southern Utah, the city of Hurricane declared an emergency after floodwaters damaged more than 100 homes and RVs.

More rain on the way

Forecasters said the risk of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms would persist through Saturday as a Pacific storm system tracks east across New Mexico, with activity expected to ease in the western part of the state by Sunday. Officials urged residents not to drive through flooded roads and to keep emergency alerts switched on. Evacuees in San Juan County can shelter at McGee Park, where pets and RVs are allowed.