Flooding on the San Juan River Forces Evacuations and Dozens of Rooftop Rescues in New Mexico
Floodwaters from a Pacific storm swamped neighborhoods along the San Juan and Animas rivers, forcing about 600 households in Farmington to evacuate and prompting at least 60 rescues, with more rain expected through the weekend.
Farmington, New Mexico, ordered about 600 households to leave their homes as floodwaters from the San Juan and Animas rivers swamped neighborhoods, and rescue crews pulled at least 60 people from homes and rooftops between Farmington and Bloomfield, according to local reports.
The flooding began Thursday after a Pacific storm moved inland across Southern California and sent runoff surging into the two rivers. Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe called it a once-in-a-generation event at a Friday press conference and said no deaths had been reported at that point. “This is a once-in-a-generation time. This is singular and this is real. So far, we have not had any deaths but this is not anything that should be played with,” Hebbe said.
Helicopter crews lift residents from rooftops
New Mexico National Guard helicopter crews carried out hoist rescues through Friday and into Saturday, lowering medics by cable to people stranded on rooftops and in homes standing in several feet of water. An infant suffering seizures was among those rescued Thursday night, according to the New York Post.
One mother, Aimee Goodday, told KOAT that freezing floodwater poured into her trailer around midnight Friday and her family waited on the roof for 12 hours before rescuers reached them. “We lost everything, everything,” she said.
Damage reaches Colorado, Utah and Arizona
The same storm system hit communities across the Southwest. In southern Colorado, floodwater rose four to five feet inside some homes, and Gov. Jared Polis told The Colorado Sun that about 1,000 families had been evacuated as he declared a disaster emergency. In Utah, the city of Hurricane declared an emergency after about 80 homes and 50 recreational vehicles were damaged.
Flooding also shut down water treatment in the area, and officials warned residents to stay out of floodwater after untreated wastewater entered local waterways. Some communities south of the river lost power, and reentry to evacuated areas remained closed on Saturday as more rain threatened to push river levels higher.
Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post and Particle News.
