San Juan River sets flood record in New Mexico as rescues continue in Four Corners region

The San Juan River reached 14.1 feet (4.3 metres) at Farmington, New Mexico, on Friday 23 October, above the previous record of 12.3 feet set in 1909, according to the National Weather Service, after two days of heavy rain in the Four Corners region where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet.

San Juan County said in an update at 3:25pm GMT on Saturday that crews had carried out 20 rescues overnight, several involving more than one person, and that rescues were still under way from Farmington west to Shiprock. Power was out south of the river in Shiprock, the bridge carrying US 64 and NM 491 there was closed, and evacuated areas would not reopen yet, the county said.

A National Weather Service database citing the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office put the number of damaged homes at about 1,500 and the number of people rescued from swift water at at least 60 since Thursday afternoon, Source New Mexico reported. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Devin Neeley said the real figures could be higher. Officials said on Friday that no one had died in the flooding.

Neeley said floodwater had breached the Bloomfield wastewater treatment plant, putting raw sewage into the river, and told residents to stay out of the water. The county said drinking water was safe.

The county is seeking state and federal disaster declarations. The Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe have declared emergencies, and La Plata County in Colorado has adopted a local disaster declaration. On Thursday, Navajo Police and emergency staff rescued 30 people from seven families in Dennehotso, Arizona, police said.