Rooftop rescues and evacuations as severe flooding soaks Four Corners
region
[October 24, 2026]
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Severe flooding in the Four Corners region
Friday led to rescues — some from rooftops — and impassable roads, with
some residents told to evacuate low-lying areas of Colorado and New
Mexico and others urged to stay where they are until water levels drop.
The flooding followed two months of heavy rains that ended a summer
drought in the region where the boundaries of Arizona, Colorado, New
Mexico and Utah meet. Since Wednesday, a total of 4 inches (10
centimeters) had fallen in the already saturated area, with even more
rain forecast for the weekend.
Hundreds of people along the San Juan River in the biggest city in the
area, Farmington, New Mexico, were told to evacuate. Downstream,
residents of the vast Navajo Nation braced for floodwaters not expected
to peak until late Friday or early Saturday.
“Do not wait to make your evacuations. Make your preparations for
yourselves, your families, as well as your animals,” Navajo Nation
Deputy Police Chief Donnie Kee urged during a news conference.
The crisis capped a week of severe weather in which rain swamped dozens
of homes in Utah and tornadoes blew off roofs, knocked trees onto houses
and downed power lines in Arizona.
In New Mexico, more ‘once in a generation’ flooding ahead
Rescuers used New Mexico National Guard boats, helicopters and
amphibious vehicles Thursday night and into Friday to try to reach
stranded residents, San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said.
“We’re picking people off of roofs and pulling people out of houses that
have 3 or 4 feet (1-1.5 meters) of water in them, and there’s more water
coming,” Neeley said.
Rains stopped — at least temporarily — but rivers were still rising.
“This is serious. We’re still sending deputies as I speak to get people
out of their homes right now. In fact, our sheriff is damn near going to
lose his home today,” Neeley said.
Some 600 Farmington households were told to evacuate, city spokesperson
Gina Intoppa said.
Still higher water was on the way via the Animas River, a San Juan
tributary that also flows south from rain-soaked Colorado, Farmington
Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in the news conference.
“People are not believing that it’s going to be as bad as it is. But you
can see the water flow coming, you can see the surge coming,” Hebbe
said, calling it a “once in a generation” event.
Even worse than historic southern Colorado flooding a year ago
In southern Colorado, flooding was even worse than forecast and a full 3
feet (1 meter) higher than a 100-year flood on the San Juan River only a
year ago. Rainfall topped 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in the Pagosa
Springs area of south-central Colorado, according to Frank Pereira, a
National Weather Service forecaster in College Park, Maryland.
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Pickup trucks are submerged along Highway 160 in South Fork, Colo.,
on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (South Fork Fire Rescue via AP)
Colorado National Guard rescuers succeeded Friday in using a
helicopter to hoist two people and their three dogs to safety from a
partially submerged recreational vehicle. They had driven onto a
flooded road while trying to escape the high water and got washed
into a river, Archuleta County sheriff's officials said.
Authorities were assessing who else needed help, including many
whose homes weren’t flooded but were cut off by floodwaters.
Sheriff Mike Le Roux said the amount of water was “unprecedented”
and had caused a lot of damage, but he was not aware of any deaths
or serious injuries.
Evacuees included the wife and three children of Tyler Scartaccini,
who stayed behind to keep an eye on their property as water reached
their porch and into their garages.
“I felt like we were in a very safe place and now I don’t feel that
so much,” Scartaccini said.
In nearby Rio Grande County, trailers at a campground were
surrounded by water. Trucks were partially submerged in other areas.
Colorado roads closed due to runoff damage included U.S. 550 between
Silverton and Ouray, a scenic, high-elevation route known as the
“Million Dollar Highway.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis had declared a disaster emergency in 11
counties.
In Utah, more flooding is possible while other areas dry out
In the city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah, a shipping
container drifting down a street gave way Friday to a mess of mud
and debris to be cleaned up as people who had evacuated earlier in
the week returned home.
The risk shifted to Utah's southeast, where streams ran fast and
high. Flood watches were in effect into the weekend, said Alex
DeSmet, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake City.
Still, the Four Corners region could get more heavy rain this
weekend, with up to half an inch (1 centimeter) forecast to fall in
northwestern New Mexico.
While parts of the Southwest are rocky with little vegetation and
are naturally prone to flash flooding, the recent rains had
saturated the ground and made widespread flooding more likely. The
moisture was from the remnants of Pacific tropical systems that had
come ashore, forecasters said.
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press
writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Wufei Yu and Josh
Kelety in Phoenix contributed to this story.
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