San Juan County lifts flood evacuation orders as cleanup begins

San Juan County officials plan to lift evacuation orders affecting at least 20,000 residents in the coming days as floodwaters recede.

Heavy rain fell on the Four Corners region and Nevada over the past two weeks, delivering more than 20 trillion gallons of water. Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue compared the volume to ten months of flow over Niagara Falls. The region had already been saturated by an unusually wet fall. One person died in the floodwaters, and police suspect a second death was weather-related.

Devin Neeley, a spokesperson for San Juan County, stated that major rivers in the area remained above flood stage on Tuesday. He described the situation as a waiting game for the waters to recede. The county will shift its focus to recovery once the evacuation orders are lifted. This follows a period where residents in Shiprock and Farmington braced for potentially catastrophic flooding that did not reach the highest forecasted levels.

The flooding has disrupted local life and voting efforts. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the downtown area remained closed to traffic on Tuesday. Workers used heavy equipment to remove mud, water, and debris from roads. Walkways and bridges in the area collapsed or suffered heavy damage. Jack Ellis, a retired schoolteacher, noted that the disaster was severe for low-lying areas. He said the community would have to dig in and dig out.

Alyssa Gallegos, an eighth-generation local and contract mail carrier, assisted with mail-in ballots in Pagosa Springs. She watched videos of the devastation and found her stepfather’s home swept off its foundation. She reported losing childhood photographs and other possessions. Gallegos said her heart was crushed by the loss for her stepfather and the wider community. Cleanup and repairs in the tourist town could take weeks or more.

In Durango, about 60 miles to the west, Willow Bradner’s ranch-style home was surrounded by about two feet of mud. Nearly five feet of water from an overflowing creek poured into the house. Bradner described her basement as becoming a soup bowl. She and her husband, who bought the property in 2024, had been told they were not in a flood zone. They and their teenage daughter were offered temporary housing through the end of the year. Bradner said the majority of their savings is tied up in the house and that they must rebuild.