San Juan River forecast tops the 1911 flood crest
On Sunday, Sedona, Arizona, officials rescued residents trapped in their homes and ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters rose, while Pagosa Springs, Colorado, officials warned of potentially catastrophic flooding with the San Juan River forecast to crest at more than 20 feet late Sunday night. Communities in northern New Mexico and central Arizona also issued mandatory evacuations, and the rain forced the closure of several highways. Flagstaff police said authorities were searching for a man who slipped and fell into fast-moving floodwaters “and was not seen resurfacing.” Yavapai County spokesperson David McAtee said no injuries or deaths had been reported so far.
Pagosa Springs, a Rockies town of more than 2,000 located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, warned of potentially “catastrophic flooding.” In a Facebook post, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said, “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),” and wrote, “This is a potentially catastrophic flood event.” The forecast called for the river to crest at more than 20 feet (6.1 meters) late Sunday night. Town officials had lifted an evacuation order from flooding the previous week only to reimpose it Saturday, with the San Juan forecast to crest Sunday night at 21.9 feet (6.7 meters). By sundown Sunday, the crest had reached about 14 feet (4.2 meters), according to Vicky Schaffer, a spokesperson for the county. Roads in and out of town were closed, and residents who were not under evacuation orders were urged to stay home.
Officials told anyone in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers to head to a designated shelter at a local church. They advised residents not to wait to leave their homes because emergency crews could be extremely limited during the worst of the storm. The highway entering town was closed to inbound traffic, and residents were advised to avoid contact with the San Juan River after sewage was discharged into it.
Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said downtown had been evacuated and streets were flooding. German said she was most worried about the one bridge into town washing out and trucks carrying everything from food to fuel not having a way in. “I’m worried about my business, worried about my employees, definitely worried for everybody in this town,” German said. Officials in La Plata County, west of Pagosa Springs, said all public roads were closed because of the flooding, and evacuations were ordered in nearby Durango, Colorado, where the Animas River was rising quickly.
In Sedona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters trapped multiple people in their homes. Sedona officials rescued residents trapped in their homes. Nearby Yavapai County and the community of Camp Verde issued similar evacuation orders for residents living near swollen rivers and creeks. More than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Sedona, officials in Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred residents along Tonto Creek. The wet conditions produced flash floods, river flooding and swift boat rescues in Tucson, some 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of Sedona.
Longtime Sedona resident Michelle Grimm described watching the rushing waters of Oak Creek rise perilously close to 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 as she sheltered in place in her home Sunday. She added, “I’ve never seen them rescuing people with helicopters out of neighborhoods.” A video shared by the Sedona fire department showed powerful floodwaters inundating vehicles and rushing past homes and other structures, and other videos and photos shared on social media showed people standing on a pedestrian bridge taking photos and videos as churning, brown waters rushed underneath. By Sunday afternoon, the drenching rains had largely subsided in the Sedona area.
In Flagstaff, rain fell nearly nonstop Sunday, flooding local roads and overwhelming storm drains. Outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, people filled plastic bags with sand to try to prevent further flooding inside. Luke Willson said water got into the garage, the basement and underneath the church building, as well as in an office where the computers are. “The pumps are pumping, but they’re not pumping fast enough,” Willson said.
To the southeast, in the Pinetop-Lakeside area of central Arizona, the region’s sanitary district said “manhole covers are popping up all over” and residents reported sewage backing up into homes because of flooding. Aaron Hardin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson, said, “We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days.”
The latest round of soaking rains started Saturday evening and was expected to saturate the normally arid region through Monday. The National Weather Service estimated as much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain could fall across the region, fueled by a series of Pacific storm systems.
The weather service issued flood warnings and watches for nearly all of Arizona and parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado and western New Mexico, in addition to part of southern Nevada. That coverage includes the sparsely populated Four Corners region where the states meet. The weather service office for Salt Lake City said previous storms had already soaked places like Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks, warning that could worsen flooding and that “backcountry roads will likely become impassable from this excessive runoff.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air rescue crews were assisting with rooftop evacuations and state transportation crews were helping clear debris. David McAtee, spokesperson for Yavapai County, said no injuries or deaths had been reported so far, and nearly 20 homes had residents who needed emergency assistance to relocate.
Marcelo reported from New York; Casey from Boston; and Weber from Los Angeles.