Four Corners officials order evacuations as rivers surge again

Evacuations Ordered Across Four Corners as Rivers Surge Again

It’s wide and it’s fast, San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley shared with the Journal on Monday afternoon while viewing the Animas River near Aztec.

That assessment framed a renewed wave of flooding across the Four Corners region on Monday, forcing emergency officials to issue fresh evacuation notices across northwestern New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah just days after devastating floods began on Oct. 22. In San Juan County alone, authorities directed more than 20,000 residents living within a half-mile of the Animas, La Plata, and San Juan rivers to leave as rising waters closed in.

Rescue Operations and Rising River Levels

Crews carried out fewer than 10 rescue operations during the latest flooding, while the National Guard stepped in to assist with additional efforts for which county officials did not have a count. No serious injuries or fatalities had been reported by Monday afternoon.

Neeley noted that emergency workers had not yet seen the absolute peak of the rivers. While some stability appeared in river heights, officials stressed that the crest had not come quite yet.

We are all out of the neighborhood — evacuated.

said Julia Gilbert, who spent Monday helping her brother and mother prepare their homes in Harper Valley, a Farmington-area subdivision devastated by flooding in late October. Gilbert noted that neighbors reported the floodwaters rising toward the houses again.

National Weather Service Warnings and Regional Impact

The National Weather Service issued early morning bulletins tracking minor flooding along the San Juan River at Farmington alongside forecasts for potential major flooding stretching through Tuesday morning, with a projected crest of 12.7 feet. Further north, NWS forecasters upgraded predictions below Redmesa, Colorado, moving the La Plata River from minor to moderate flood status and warning that water levels could reach flood records. The La Plata stood at 10 feet as of 8:30 a.m. and was projected to crest at roughly 10.6 feet, above its 9-foot flood stage.

Major flooding hit near Cedar Hill early Monday, while NWS offices in Flagstaff, Arizona, extended flash flood warnings for parts of Coconino and Navajo counties through the early afternoon. Forecasters in Grand Junction issued warnings for five southwestern Colorado counties and parts of Utah through late Monday afternoon.

According to Neeley’s calculations, Farmington picked up roughly 1-2 inches of rainfall from the weekend through Monday, whereas Durango, Colorado, measured about 2-3 inches over that identical timeframe, helping drive fresh inundation along waterways tracking southward from Colorado into New Mexico.

Federal and State Disaster Declarations

President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration on Oct. 26 for northwestern New Mexico, granting the Federal Emergency Management Agency authority to fund 75% of qualifying emergency protective measures.

The president’s order followed an Oct. 29 authorization by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, which provided $54.75 million to assist in recovery efforts. Governor Lujan Grisham indicated she would press the White House for a “major disaster” designation, a move that could unlock further assistance such as individual aid for community members suffering harm to their residences and personal property.

The Path Forward as Waters Recede

Back in Harper Valley, Gilbert said the water was about a foot from the garage of her brother’s house and still rising. County officials anticipate that once the rivers hit their peak, the slow work of drainage will begin.

Neeley told the Journal that even after the crest passes, it will take hours for the river to go back down below action stage. Officials are looking at Tuesday or Wednesday before the river is back to a normal state and before some evacuations are relieved.