Utah city recovering after floods; evacuations in Four Corners region

Heavy rain across the desert where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet triggered severe flooding Friday, leading to water rescues — some from rooftops — and impassable roads. More rain is forecast through at least Saturday. In Farmington, New Mexico, the largest city in the area, about 600 households along the San Juan River were told to evacuate as rivers continued to rise even after rain temporarily stopped.

"Do not wait to make your evacuations. Make your preparations for yourselves, your families, as well as your animals," Navajo Nation Deputy Police Chief Donnie Kee urged during a news conference. Downstream, residents of the vast Navajo Nation braced for floodwaters not expected to peak until late Friday or early Saturday. San Juan County spokesman Devin Neeley said rescuers used New Mexico National Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles Thursday night into Friday to reach stranded residents.

"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. Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe called it a "once in a generation" event, warning that higher water was arriving via the Animas River from rain-soaked Colorado. "People are not believing that it's going to be as bad as it is. But you can see the water flow coming, you can see the surge coming," Hebbe said.

In southern Colorado, flooding exceeded forecasts and ran 3 feet higher than a 100-year flood on the San Juan River just a year ago. Rescuers in a state helicopter tried to reach two adults and three dogs stranded in a partially submerged motor home, Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in 11 counties. In Utah, the city of Hurricane began cleaning up mud and debris after a shipping container drifted down a street earlier in the week, and Utah 24 through Capitol Reef National Park sustained damage.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal