Deadly Floods Swamp the Southwest, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate and Disrupting Election Day Plans

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Nov. 2 (TodayViralUSA) — A slow-moving storm that dumped months’ worth of rain on the normally dry Southwest has killed at least one person, pushed rivers to record levels and forced evacuations across at least a dozen counties in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, scrambling Election Day plans in some flooded communities.

In Flagstaff, police said a 73-year-old man, identified as Williams Singavarapu, was found dead early Monday after reportedly falling into floodwater Sunday evening. Rescue crews around Sedona carried out rooftop rescues, and in Tucson firefighters pulled a woman from a car trapped in a flooded wash.

Rivers hit record crests

More than 10 rivers, creeks and washes in Arizona and southwest Colorado rose above major flood stage, the highest category, and several set record crests, CNN reported. Record flooding hit the Little Colorado River near Winslow and the Gila River near Solomon, where the National Weather Service said the river crested early Monday more than 2 feet above the level that floods homes and businesses in Solomon, Safford and Thatcher. Flooding on some waterways could last through at least Tuesday.

In northwestern New Mexico, about 20,000 people in San Juan County were told to evacuate areas within half a mile of the Animas, La Plata and San Juan rivers, a county spokesperson told CNN. Water has entered homes and rescues were under way.

Colorado flooded for a second time in 10 days

In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the San Juan River surged past major flood stage for the second time in about 10 days. Sunday evening’s crest was nearly 2 feet higher than the destructive flooding of Oct. 23. Mandatory evacuations were also ordered along the Rio Grande in South Fork, Del Norte and Monte Vista, where officials said 2,773 people were evacuated and no injuries or missing people had been reported as of Monday morning.

The Colorado National Guard has rescued more than 50 people and more than 20 dogs, according to the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which has its emergency operations center at its highest activation level. Gov. Jared Polis requested a federal major disaster declaration for the southwest flooding on Oct. 31.

Voting moved, drop box closed

With Election Day on Tuesday, Archuleta County, which includes Pagosa Springs, closed its Town Hall ballot drop box because of flooding and set up a mobile drop box staffed by a bipartisan team of election judges. One in-person voting center was moved to the county courthouse. Neighboring La Plata County said its election operations were running as scheduled even as most other county offices closed.

Storm heads east for Election Day

The rain has ended in the Southwest, but the storm is moving into the Plains and Midwest. Forecasters warned of possible severe thunderstorms Monday night from Dallas-Fort Worth to Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas, with damaging winds and a few tornadoes possible. On Tuesday, rain is expected from the Great Plains and Upper Midwest south to the western Gulf Coast, including in states with closely watched races such as Iowa, Kansas, eastern Texas and northern Michigan. Much of the East Coast and the West should stay dry.