Record San Juan River flooding hits Four Corners as New Mexico prepares federal aid request

By Kenji Harrow

WASHINGTON — Floodwater from the San Juan and Animas rivers has forced the evacuation of about 1,500 homes in San Juan County, N.M., and prompted hundreds of water rescues since Thursday, and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is preparing to ask the Trump administration for a federal emergency declaration, her office said on Saturday.

The San Juan River at Farmington rose to about 14 feet, roughly two feet above the record set in 1909, according to National Weather Service figures reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. The Animas River crested at 12 feet on Saturday, a level the weather service last recorded in the flood of 1927, the Tri-City Record reported. No deaths had been reported from this week’s flooding as of Saturday, KOAT reported.

The federal piece. The governor’s office said the request would be New Mexico’s second disaster declaration request this month. On Friday the state sought a Major Disaster Declaration for flooding from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2 that hit 14 counties and three tribal nations and caused an estimated $27.1 million in damage to public infrastructure, according to the governor’s office. September’s floods killed three people in San Juan County, KOAT reported.

The administration has approved two major disaster declarations for New Mexico tribal communities this year: DR-4918 for the Pueblo of Acoma on June 30 and DR-4954 for Zuni Pueblo on Oct. 7, according to FEMA’s declaration records. It approved DR-4944 for Colorado wildfires, flooding and mudslides on Sept. 1. No federal declaration for this week’s flooding appeared in FEMA’s records as of early Sunday.

What happened. Remnants of Eastern Pacific Hurricane Trudy, downgraded to a tropical storm, were carried inland and dropped about 3 inches of rain on Durango and about 5 inches around Pagosa Springs on Thursday, National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Scholtens told the Durango Herald. The Animas at Durango ran at 11,200 cubic feet per second on Friday; its historical median for Oct. 23 is about 300.

In San Juan County, N.M., law enforcement reported hundreds of water rescues between Farmington and Bloomfield, and the weather service estimated damage to thousands of homes and buildings, the governor’s office said. About 58 New Mexico National Guard members, including swiftwater teams, were deployed, and Guard helicopters lifted people from rooftops in Bloomfield. “Families in Bloomfield and Farmington spent the night on rooftops,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement carried by KSJE.

Officials said those 1,500 homes had been evacuated by noon Saturday, according to the Tri-City Record. San Juan County Commission Chair Sam Gonzales called it “a terrible crisis” and said the county was working on a request for a presidential emergency declaration. Floodwater reached the Bloomfield Water Reclamation Facility, sending untreated wastewater into the San Juan River, the governor’s office said. The U.S. 64/N.M. 491 bridge at Shiprock, on the Navajo Nation, was closed.

Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for 11 southwest Colorado counties late Thursday and added Conejos County, bringing the order to 12, Denver7 reported. About 100 people evacuated, and the state is coordinating with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe on flooding on tribal land. “I urge Coloradans in Southwest Colorado to follow emergency orders and ensure you prioritize your and your family’s safety,” Polis said. Wolf Creek Pass and the Cumbres and La Manga passes were closed, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad suspended service through Monday.

What comes next. An emergency declaration generally pays for emergency protective measures such as evacuations and sheltering, while a major disaster declaration can open broader aid, including assistance to individual households, under FEMA’s process. Requests go through FEMA to the president. Gonzales urged residents to photograph damage before cleaning up so losses can be documented for reimbursement. The weather service said a flood warning in southwest Colorado would stay in effect through at least Sunday.

The Inquisitor asked FEMA, the White House, the offices of Gov. Lujan Grisham and Gov. Polis, New Mexico’s and Colorado’s emergency management departments, San Juan County, the Navajo Nation and Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján on Sunday about the status of the federal request and the response. None had responded by publication.

Photo: The San Juan River Bridge at Shiprock, N.M., in 2021. Mx. Granger / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.