More flooding forecast for rain-soaked US south-west as flood watch covers Four Corners
A rain-soaked swath of the south-western United States braced on Sunday (October 25) for another round of potentially heavy showers and thunderstorms. Days of rain have already forced evacuations and water rescues in the region.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the Four Corners, the meeting point of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Local officials forecast further receding of the swollen rivers that surged after rains picked up on Wednesday.
About 4 feet (1 metre) of water flooded the home of Shane Ferrari, sheriff of San Juan County, New Mexico. He said the area's situation was stable on Sunday, but that he and other residents were trying to clean up and deal with the damage.
San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said the county did not have official numbers on damage to homes or the number of people evacuated, but he was not aware of any loss of life.
Neeley said the flood waters were receding but left mud and silt, much of it contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants. Power outages were still affecting multiple areas, and it would probably be a few days before residents got their power back.
"It's a pretty active disaster zone," Neeley said of the situation. "We're not on the downswing by any means."
The flooding is the latest from two months of on-and-off heavy rain caused by tropical moisture coming ashore from the Pacific. After months of drought, other recent deadly flooding struck the Grand Canyon and areas of New Mexico.
