Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Looking out a window on Friday afternoon, Devin Neeley saw light, puffy clouds and a blue sky in San Juan County, N. M. The county's public information officer for emergency management called it "surreal. "
Meanwhile, brown rainwaters were flooding homes in low-lying areas of the county and forcing sewage into the San Juan River. "[The sky] belies really the danger that is coming down the river in historic levels," Neeley says. "We have not seen flooding like this in generations. "
Neeley says, emergency responders rescued people on their roofs after floodwater inundated their homes. The county is under an emergency declaration and residents in susceptible areas were told to evacuate Thursday afternoon. "These are communities that have beautiful riverfront places to live," Neeley says. "And unfortunately, that's a problem today. "
Rare, heavy rainfall started to hit the Four Corners region — which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona — on Wednesday. Since then, severe, brown-colored floodwaters have led to road closures, mandatory evacuations and emergency declarations across the four states. Areas of southern Utah, southwest Colorado, and the northern parts of Arizona and New Mexico were drenched with rain leading to rapidly rising floodwaters, Thursday and Friday. In response to a post on X that showed brownish-red floodwaters in Hurricane, Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox, wrote on Thursday: "Our hearts are with the families whose homes and livelihoods have been impacted. "
We are closely monitoring the flash flooding in Hurricane. Our hearts are with the families whose homes and livelihoods have been impacted. Please follow all evacuation orders and local emergency guidance. We’re grateful to the first responders working to keep Utahns safe. https://t. co/8hDQ85T0Xz
The southern Utah city issued an emergency declaration on Thursday after flooding damaged more than 100 homes and Rvs. People were seen leading horses to safety through ankle-deep water, in a video posted by the National Weather Service. In Farmington, N. M. , at the center of the devastation, Police Chief Steve Hebbe said at a press conference on Friday that "this is singular and this is real. "
"So far, we have not had any deaths that is very fortunate, but this is not something that should be played with," Hebbe said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared disaster emergencies for 11 counties. Polis also authorized the use of National Guard members to assist with rescue efforts in southwest Colorado. The police department for the Navajo Nation, which spans across northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah, said on Thursday that authorities had rescued seven families, 30 people, from their flooded homes.