Families across the American Southwest began digging out on Tuesday 3 November after flash floods buried homes in mud, wrecked bridges and swept away cars where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. At least one person died in the Southwest flooding and police suspect a second death was linked to the weather, according to the Associated Press.
The storms struck on Monday 2 November, and hundreds of evacuees started returning home as the skies cleared.
Southwest flooding by the numbers
Former US weather agency NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue calculated that more than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell on the Four Corners states and Nevada over the past two weeks, the AP reported.
In San Juan County, New Mexico, officials said the San Juan, Animas and La Plata rivers had all crested but none had yet dropped below flood stage. They warned it could take 24 to 48 hours for the water to recede, and several evacuations were carried out in the county.
‘Our basement became a soup bowl’
Some of the worst damage was in Colorado:
- Pagosa Springs: Walkways and bridges collapsed or were badly damaged, and a resort on the San Juan River had its entrance sealed off with tarpaulin and sandbags. Repairs could take weeks or longer.
- Durango: Willow Bradner’s home was left surrounded by about two feet of mud after nearly five feet of water from the overflowing Junction Creek poured in.
Bradner told the AP her family had lost most of their savings, which were tied up in the house. They had been told they lived outside the flood zone and had no flood insurance. “Our basement became a soup bowl,” she said.
The Southwest flooding also reached Arizona. In Camp Verde, mobile homes, cottages and vehicles were scattered along the Verde River after an RV park was swamped.
Retired teacher Jack Ellis, surveying the damage in Pagosa Springs, said locals would simply have to dig in and dig out.
Floods disrupt election day
The wild weather collided with the US midterm elections. Some communities in Colorado and Utah drew up alternative voting arrangements for election day.
Heavy downpours also caused flooding in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis issued an emergency declaration. Polling places were moved in at least eight counties as a result, the AP said.
A long clean-up ahead
Swift-water rescue teams were kept busy through the storms, and footage of flash floods carrying away homes and cars in the region was broadcast around the world, including by Euronews.
With the Southwest flooding only slowly receding, rivers still running high and mud filling streets and basements, residents face weeks of clean-up, and many of those hit have no insurance to cover the losses.
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Sources: KSAT (Associated Press), Euronews
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