Floods force evacuations and ballot changes in Southwest
Heavy rain swamped parts of the Four Corners region, leading to road closures and special voting rules for displaced residents.
By Riya Zhao ·
Residents in the Colorado tourist town of Pagosa Springs faced mandatory evacuations and changed voting rules on Monday after heavy weekend rainfall sent the San Juan River rising. The water level peaked at 16.81 feet late Sunday before beginning to recede, according to the National Weather Service. The town, which has a population of more than 2,000, is located near ski resorts and hot springs.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office established alternative voting plans for the area. Residents who have not yet voted can visit any voter center in the state to request a replacement ballot. Those casting in-person ballots outside their home county can only vote for statewide races. Voters with mail ballots can return them to any drop box or voter center in the state by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The office said these ballots will be sent to the county clerk for signature verification and tabulation.
Flooding and bridge damage closed all La Plata County roads on Monday. Katie German, owner of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said downtown was evacuated and street flooding occurred. She expressed concern that a washed-out bridge would prevent trucks carrying food and fuel from reaching the town. Town officials had lifted an evacuation order from the previous week only to reimpose it on Saturday.
Rainfall moved across the Four Corners region, affecting parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. The weather service estimated as much as 4 inches of rain could fall through Monday. In New Mexico, the San Juan River was still rising further downstream. New evacuations were ordered for some residents in San Juan County, including Navajo communities. The Utah Navajo Health System posted several active highway closures with detours.
The Rio Chama in New Mexico’s Rio Arriba County remained under a flood warning through Tuesday. The rising Jemez River made campgrounds and fishing sites inaccessible. In Arizona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek in Sedona to leave on Sunday because floodwaters trapped multiple people in their homes. Yavapai County and the community of Camp Verde ordered evacuations for residents living near swollen rivers.
Gila County officials ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred located along Tonto Creek. Flash floods and swiftboat rescues occurred in Tucson. Aaron Hardin, a weather service meteorologist, said the region was getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days. In Flagstaff, nearly nonstop rain on Sunday flooded local roads and overwhelmed storm drains. Authorities searched for a man who fell into fast-moving floodwaters and was not seen resurfacing.
In the Pinetop-Lakeside area, the region’s sanitary district announced that manhole covers were popping up and sewage was backing up into homes due to flooding. David Byers, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Grand Junction, Colorado, said most of the rain was winding down on Monday and the next few days look drier.
