San Juan River crests in Four Corners region, leaving one dead and towns flooded

The San Juan River is expected to reach a height of 31 feet later Monday, keeping parts of the Four Corners region under a flood warning. One person died from the flooding on Saturday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The death occurred when a family attempted to cross a flooded arroyo in their vehicle. The county sheriff's office said a father and child escaped to land, but a female passenger was swept away and found dead a mile away.

Unusually heavy rain has fallen in the region since Wednesday. The precipitation was driven by tropical moisture arriving from the Pacific Ocean. Forecasters attributed the intense rainfall to El Niño conditions. The storms caused a tornado to touch down in Santa Fe on Saturday night. Rivers surged across the border area where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. Homes flooded, and water rescues were required in multiple locations.

The National Weather Service reported that the river stood 1.5 feet above the flood stage of 23 feet on Monday morning. The water level was projected to fall below flood stage by Tuesday morning. For comparison, the river reached a height of 32 feet during the flood of 1927. Officials in the Farmington area of New Mexico said swollen rivers were beginning to recede. However, many residents remained evacuated, and hundreds lost power.

San Juan County in New Mexico did not have official figures for the number of damaged homes or evacuees. Spokesperson Devin Neeley told The Associated Press that the area functioned as an active disaster zone. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Major General Miguel Aguilar of the New Mexico National Guard planned to visit the county on Monday. They intended to survey the damage and meet with affected residents.

County officials urged residents to return slowly because of specific hazards. Water in the affected areas could contain chemicals and raw sewage. Gas and propane lines might also be broken. San Juan County Fire & Rescue Chief David Vega acknowledged at a Sunday news conference that the public was anxious to return. He stated that hazards remained in the area. Undersheriff Cory Tanner said teams were checking houses for dangers. He noted that this process could take several days.

In Bluff, Utah, some residents were evacuated over the weekend. County officials allowed them to return early Monday. The weather service advised people to stay out of the San Juan River. It warned that water levels remained elevated and that possible sewage contamination posed health risks. In the Shiprock area of the Navajo Nation, flooding damaged wastewater facilities. This caused sewage releases into the river, according to Wilfred Franklin Jr., the district manager for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.

Zach and Abigail Flatt received evacuation orders on their phones on Thursday evening. Their home in Bloomfield, New Mexico, sits on the San Juan River. Zach recalled that the water jumped about 4 feet in 30 or 40 minutes. The family loaded into their car as water came up over the tires. They stayed at a hotel with their two children, who are ages 2 and 4. They watched webcams as at least 18 inches of water inundated their property. The flood washed away 22 of their 24 chickens.

New Mexico's congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency on Sunday. This action would release federal assistance funding. In Colorado, teams created maps for several counties. These maps identified affected roads, closures, and evacuation zones. The current flooding follows two months of on and off heavy rain in the region. Previous deadly floods struck the Grand Canyon and other parts of New Mexico after months of drought.