A Colorado mountain town already battered by historic flooding is facing another dangerous surge.
Officials in Pagosa Springs ordered residents in flood-prone areas to leave as the San Juan River climbed far above major flood stage and forecasters warned that more rain could push the water toward catastrophic levels.
The warning carries the weight of history.
The Town of Pagosa Springs told residents that the San Juan River could approach 20 feet, threatening roads, homes and critical infrastructure across the river corridor. Officials ordered people in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers to evacuate immediately.
The town warned residents not to wait until water reached their homes because rescue operations could become severely limited during the worst of the storm. Its updates also reported damaged wastewater infrastructure and a sewage discharge into the river near the First Street Bridge.
That discharge added a contamination danger to the swift-moving water. Residents were urged to take medications, identification and essential documents if those items were immediately available, then move to safety without delaying for property.
The town warned residents not to wait for water to reach their homes because rescue operations could become severely limited during the worst of the storm.
Pagosa Springs also reported that damaged wastewater infrastructure was discharging sewage into the San Juan River near the First Street Bridge. Residents were told to avoid floodwater and leave with essential medications, identification and documents if those items were immediately available.
The 1911 flood that destroyed much of the young town crested at approximately 17.8 feet. The new forecast pushed beyond that benchmark.
The Associated Press reported that evacuations spread through the Southwest as a train of Pacific storms soaked Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Pagosa Springs, a community of a little more than 2,000 people known for its hot springs and mountain tourism, became one of the hardest-hit locations.
Flooding closed public roads in southwestern Colorado and prompted additional evacuations near Durango as the Animas River rose. Emergency crews in Arizona rescued residents trapped by rising water near Sedona.
The regional reporting places Pagosa Springs in a broader moisture surge rather than an isolated thunderstorm. It also underscores the town’s special vulnerability after a severe late-October flood had already damaged roads, bridges, culverts and wastewater systems before this new round of rain arrived.
Flooding closed public roads in parts of southwestern Colorado and forced additional evacuations near Durango as the Animas River rose. In Arizona, emergency crews rescued residents trapped by rising water near Sedona.
The storm arrived while Pagosa Springs was still cleaning up from another severe flood in late October. Roads, bridges, culverts and wastewater systems were already damaged before the latest round of rain.
Saturated ground has little room to absorb another deluge. Damaged infrastructure also has less margin for error, allowing a recovery operation to turn back into a rescue operation in a matter of hours.
Floodwater can hide washed-out pavement, open manholes, debris and downed power lines. Even a familiar road can become impassable before a driver realizes how fast the water is moving.
The National Weather Service kept flood warnings and watches active for the Pagosa Springs area while reporting moderate to major river flooding across the Southwest and Four Corners region. The San Juan River had already climbed well above its 10.5-foot flood stage.
Major flooding at the local gauge begins at 12.6 feet, and overnight readings pushed the river into that category. Forecasters continued monitoring additional runoff from the mountain watershed.
The forecast office warned that repeated rainfall over saturated ground could keep creeks, rivers and drainage channels elevated after the heaviest rain moved away. A river can continue rising after rain eases in town as water drains from higher terrain, leaving residents with less time than a calmer sky might suggest.
Major flooding at the Pagosa Springs gauge begins at 12.6 feet. Overnight readings pushed the river into that category while forecasters continued monitoring additional runoff from the mountain watershed.
Colorado emergency managers said dam-safety engineers were conducting daily inspections in the flood-affected region. State officials also activated response and recovery operations and deployed search-and-rescue resources toward the San Luis Valley.
Those steps show the scale of the threat. Crews are not preparing for a wet commute; they are checking dams, staging swiftwater teams and opening shelters for families who cannot safely return home.
The state response supports local rescuers, but evacuation remains the most important protection available to residents in the river corridor.
Authorities repeatedly told residents not to delay while collecting belongings.
Take medications, identification and essential documents if they are immediately available. Then leave.
Americans often see dramatic storm footage after the damage is done. The decisions made before the river reaches a neighborhood determine whether emergency crews spend the night protecting property or pulling families from rooftops.
A forecast that places a river above the flood that once wiped out most of a town deserves immediate action.
Pagosa Springs has survived floods before, and its residents have shown remarkable resilience through this punishing stretch of weather.
Resilience also means respecting the river’s power.
The best outcome now is an empty evacuation zone, no unnecessary rescues and every family accounted for when the water finally recedes.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
