Mud and debris mark flood recovery in Southwest towns

Residents in the U.S. Southwest are beginning to assess the damage left by receding floodwaters. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, mud covers streets and homes after two weeks of on and off heavy rain. Workers use heavy equipment to clear roads in the downtown area, which remained closed to traffic as of Tuesday.

The region received more than 20 trillion gallons of rain over the past two weeks. Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist, compared that volume to ten months of flow from Niagara Falls. The precipitation fell on ground already saturated by an unusually wet fall. This combination created severe flooding across the Four Corners states and Nevada.

One person died in the floodwaters. Police suspect a second death was weather related. In San Juan County, New Mexico, major rivers remained above flood stage despite some rivers cresting lower than forecast. Devin Neeley, a spokesperson for the county, said the area is in a waiting game for the waters to recede. He added that the county would likely soon lift evacuation orders affecting at least 20,000 residents.

In Pagosa Springs, Jack Ellis, a retired schoolteacher, surveyed damage along the San Juan River. Ellis described the situation as a disaster for those in low-lying areas. He said the community must dig in and dig out to recover. Alyssa Gallegos, a contract mail carrier who is an eighth-generation local, watched videos of the devastation on social media. She saw her stepfather’s home swept off its foundation by the water. Inside the home were old photographs and other possessions from her childhood. Gallegos said her heart was crushed by the loss for him and for all the people affected.

Cleanup and repairs in the tourist town could take weeks or more. Walkways and bridges collapsed or were heavily damaged. Outside a resort entrance stacked with sandbags, a sign read Love Pagosa. In Durango, about 60 miles to the west, Willow Bradner’s home was surrounded by about two feet of mud. Nearly five feet of water from an overflowing creek poured into the house at one point. Bradner said the basement became a soup bowl. She noted that when she bought the property in 2024, she was told they were not in a flood zone. She and her husband received a place to stay through the end of the year. Bradner said the majority of their savings is in the house and they must dig deep to rebuild.

Flooding also affected voting in several states. In eastern Florida, at least 20 polling places changed in at least eight counties after Governor Ron DeSantis issued an emergency declaration. Over two feet of rain fell in Brevard County since Sunday. In Palm Beach County, over 20 inches of rain fell, cutting off access to condominiums and submerging cars in parking lots. Some communities in Colorado and Utah also made alternative Election Day voting plans because of the flooding.

In Rock Point, Arizona, within the Navajo Nation, officials relocated a polling place due to flooding. Valinda Shirley, vice president of the Rock Point Chapter, said hundreds of voters could not cast ballots in the U.S. midterms and the Navajo Nation presidential election. A major bridge closure and washed-out dirt roads stranded residents on election day. Shirley said she was receiving texts from people asking how to get out so they could vote.

In Pagosa Springs, Gallegos spent Tuesday morning helping get mail-in ballots to the post office in time for the 7 p.m. deadline. She said the world does not stop turning during a crisis. The community must stay with it. Skies began to clear Tuesday, offering some relief to areas that had braced for more catastrophic flooding.