Severe Flooding in US Southwest Triggers Rooftop Rescues and Evacuation Orders

Severe flooding has thrown life into chaos across the southwestern United States. On Friday, residents trapped by rising water in the region known as the Four Corners had to be rescued from rooftops, many roads became impassable, and people living in low-lying areas of Colorado and New Mexico were ordered to evacuate while others were advised to shelter in place until water levels go down.

The Four Corners is the only place in the United States where four states — Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah — come together at a single point. In Farmington, the biggest city in the Four Corners, areas along the San Juan River were closed off and about 600 households were told to evacuate, city spokesperson Gina Intoppa said. "We are kind of all hands on deck," she said.

An unknown number of people were rescued overnight and continued to be rescued on Friday by New Mexico Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles, San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said. "We're picking people off of roofs and pulling people out of houses that have 3 or 4 feet of water in them, and there's more water coming," Neeley said.

Neeley added that skies were clearing but the rivers continued to rise, with forecasted crests surpassed. "This is serious. We're still sending deputies as I speak to get people out of their homes right now. In fact, our sheriff is damn near going to lose his home today," he said.

National Guard members were also deployed to assist with flooding in southwest Colorado. Rising waters prompted mandatory evacuations along four rivers, including the San Juan River through Pagosa Springs. The resort town, famous for its riverside hot springs, suffered flooding from a similar weather pattern a year ago.

"Please shelter in place — water levels are beginning to recede, but many roads are impassable and unsafe for travel," the Archuleta County sheriff's office posted online on Friday. In nearby Rio Grande County, trailers at a campground were surrounded by high water and trucks were partially submerged in other areas.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in 11 counties in response to the heavy rain and flooding in the southwestern part of the state.

The city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah was cleaning up after declaring a state of emergency on Thursday. Reddish-brown floodwater lapped into about 80 homes in a neighborhood and 50 recreational vehicles in an RV park. Surreal scenes included a shipping container drifting slowly down a street.

Earlier in the week, tornadoes blew off roofs, knocked trees onto houses and downed power lines in Arizona, injuring at least one person. In Utah, the flooding earlier in the week had already swamped dozens of homes after several busy days of high water.

The flooding was not unexpected — it is just the latest from two months of heavy rain that ended a summer of drought. While parts of the southwest are rocky with little vegetation and naturally prone to flash flooding, the recent rains have made flooding everywhere more likely, said Kate Abbott, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Junction, Colorado. "At this point we're saturated and can't take too much more without flooding," Abbott said. "This is the third or fourth round of this kind of moisture we've seen in as many weeks."

Authorities said rescue and relief operations would continue even as river levels begin to recede. Residents of low-lying areas have been told not to return home until the water fully goes down, and damage assessments in the affected areas will begin once the situation stabilizes.