Torrential rains have triggered emergency evacuations across Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, with the San Juan River threatening catastrophic flooding in Pagosa Springs as rescue crews evacuate residents trapped by rising waters in Sedona.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Mandatory evacuations were ordered across parts of the southwestern United States on Sunday, Nov. 1, as relentless rainfall sent rivers surging toward historic flood levels, inundated homes and roadways, and prompted helicopter and swift-water rescues throughout Arizona and Colorado.
Authorities in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, warned that the San Juan River could rise higher than the level reached during a devastating 1911 flood that destroyed much of the town. Meanwhile, residents in Sedona, Arizona, were ordered to evacuate as Oak Creek overflowed, trapping people inside their homes and requiring emergency rooftop rescues.
According to Associated Press reporting on the widespread flooding, several Pacific storm systems brought repeated heavy rainfall to an already saturated region, with the National Weather Service forecasting as much as 4 inches of additional precipitation through Monday.
The storms have intensified an unusually destructive autumn of flooding across the Four Corners region, where previous downpours have damaged homes, bridges, highways and public infrastructure.
In Pagosa Springs, a mountain community of more than 2,000 residents known for its hot springs and proximity to ski resorts, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office issued urgent warnings after forecasts indicated that the San Juan River could crest at 21.9 feet late Sunday.
That level would exceed the approximately 17.8-foot crest recorded during the catastrophic flood of 1911, which destroyed much of the community.
“To put the forecast into perspective, during the devastating 1911 flood that wiped out most of what existed as the town of Pagosa at that time, the San Juan River crested at approximately 17.8 feet (5.4 meters),” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “This is a potentially catastrophic flood event.”
By sundown Sunday, the river had risen to approximately 14 feet, according to Archuleta County spokesperson Vicky Schaffer. Officials continued monitoring water levels as the community prepared for the possibility of a substantially higher crest overnight.
Authorities ordered residents in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers to evacuate immediately and seek shelter at a designated local church.
The warnings emphasized that emergency responders could have limited ability to rescue residents once floodwaters reached their highest levels.
Roads entering and leaving Pagosa Springs were closed, including restrictions on inbound highway traffic. Residents who were not subject to mandatory evacuation orders were urged to remain at home and avoid unnecessary travel.
Officials also advised residents to avoid contact with the San Juan River after sewage was discharged into the waterway, creating potential contamination concerns.
The emergency came less than a week after authorities lifted an earlier evacuation order resulting from flooding in the same community.
Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said downtown businesses had been evacuated and streets were already flooding.
German expressed particular concern about the possibility that the community’s main bridge could wash out, disrupting deliveries of essential supplies, including food and fuel.
“I’m worried about my business, worried about my employees, definitely worried for everybody in this town,” German said.
Officials in neighboring La Plata County, west of Pagosa Springs, announced that all public roads were closed because of flooding.
Evacuation orders were also issued in Durango, Colorado, where the Animas River was rising rapidly, threatening nearby homes and transportation routes.
In Arizona, emergency conditions developed across several communities as normally dry creeks and drainage channels overflowed.
Sedona authorities ordered residents living near Oak Creek to evacuate immediately after floodwaters entered neighborhoods and trapped multiple people in their homes.
The Sedona Fire District released video showing powerful currents sweeping around homes, vehicles and other structures as brown floodwaters rushed through residential areas.
Helicopters and other emergency resources were deployed to assist people unable to leave their homes safely.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air rescue personnel were assisting with rooftop evacuations while transportation crews worked to remove debris and reopen damaged roadways.
David McAtee, a spokesperson for Yavapai County, said nearly 20 homes had residents requiring emergency assistance to relocate. No injuries or deaths had been reported in the Sedona-area rescue operations as of Sunday afternoon.
Longtime Sedona resident Michelle Grimm described watching Oak Creek rise toward the underside of a pedestrian bridge near the center of town.
“I went out at eight this morning and I saw the bridge and I was like, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble,’” Grimm said.
The severity of the flooding became apparent as emergency crews began evacuating residents from surrounding neighborhoods.
“I’ve never seen them rescuing people with helicopters out of neighborhoods,” she added.
Videos and photographs shared on social media showed residents standing on pedestrian bridges as fast-moving, muddy water surged beneath them.
Authorities warned against approaching swollen waterways or attempting to cross flooded streets, emphasizing that strong currents can carry away people and vehicles with little warning.
By Sunday afternoon, the heaviest rainfall had largely subsided around Sedona, although flooding continued to threaten downstream communities.
Nearby Camp Verde and other portions of Yavapai County issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents near rising rivers and creeks.
More than 100 miles southeast of Sedona, Gila County officials ordered the complete evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred residents near Tonto Creek.
Authorities warned that rapidly rising water levels could isolate the community and make travel on nearby roads dangerous or impossible.
Flooding also affected Tucson, approximately 230 miles south of Sedona, where emergency crews conducted swift-water rescues involving motorists trapped in flooded washes.
Members of the Tucson Fire Department’s technical rescue team assisted a woman whose vehicle became stranded in fast-moving water.
The flooding reflected the extraordinary volume of rainfall reaching portions of Arizona during the storm.
“We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days,” said Aaron Hardin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson.
In Flagstaff, nearly continuous rainfall overwhelmed storm drains, flooded streets and created dangerous conditions in residential and commercial areas.
Police reported that a man had slipped into fast-moving floodwaters and disappeared beneath the surface. Authorities launched a search after witnesses said he was not seen resurfacing.
His condition remained unknown Sunday evening.
At Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, volunteers filled plastic bags with sand in an effort to keep water from entering the building.
Luke Willson said flooding had already affected the garage, basement and areas beneath the church, along with an office containing computer equipment.
“The pumps are pumping, but they’re not pumping fast enough,” Willson said.
In the Pinetop-Lakeside area of central Arizona, flooding overwhelmed portions of the wastewater system, causing manhole covers to dislodge and sewage to back up into homes.
“Manhole covers are popping up all over,” the regional sanitary district said while advising residents of the problems.
The flooding also disrupted highway travel across Arizona and Colorado, with authorities closing roads affected by standing water, debris and rapidly moving currents.
The National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings across nearly all of Arizona and portions of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico and southern Nevada.
Forecasters warned that the repeated storms had saturated soil throughout the region, reducing its ability to absorb additional moisture and increasing the likelihood of flash flooding even during relatively brief periods of heavy rainfall.
Southern Utah’s national parks were also identified as areas of concern.
The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City warned that previous storms had already saturated portions of Zion and Capitol Reef national parks, increasing the risk of dangerous runoff and making travel on remote routes particularly hazardous.
Officials cautioned that “backcountry roads will likely become impassable from this excessive runoff.”
The flooding represents another major setback for communities still recovering from earlier destructive storms across the Four Corners region.
Late October flooding damaged homes, bridges, roads and essential infrastructure across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, leaving some communities isolated and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham estimated that recovery costs from previous flooding could reach $300 million, including debris removal and repairs to damaged bridges and roads.
At least two people died in the earlier New Mexico floods, while emergency crews rescued hundreds of others.
President Donald Trump subsequently announced federal disaster assistance for the state, with New Mexico responsible for a 25% share of eligible recovery costs.
The region’s repeated flooding has complicated recovery efforts because additional storms have arrived before roads, drainage systems and other infrastructure could be fully restored.
In southeastern Utah, previous floodwaters damaged homes and businesses in Bluff and raised concerns about wastewater contamination near Montezuma Creek.
Communities on the Navajo Nation also experienced damaged homes, disrupted transportation routes and interruptions to essential services.
The latest storms have increased the risk that previously damaged infrastructure could suffer further deterioration or collapse under the pressure of additional floodwaters.
Emergency officials urged residents to follow evacuation instructions, avoid flooded roadways and remain alert to changing river conditions, particularly downstream from areas experiencing heavy rainfall.
The National Weather Service emphasized that flash flooding can occur rapidly in desert washes, canyons and low-lying neighborhoods, even when rainfall is relatively light at a particular location.
With additional precipitation forecast through Monday, authorities remained focused on evacuating threatened communities, conducting rescue operations and monitoring river levels across the Southwest.
As of Sunday evening, the most serious concerns centered on the projected San Juan River crest in Pagosa Springs, continued flooding along Arizona waterways and the possibility that already saturated communities would face further damage before the storm system moved out of the region.
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