No injuries or missing people have been reported as severe rainfall forced evacuations in southwest Colorado before dangerous flooding, officials said Monday morning.
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs reached nearly 17 feet Sunday night. It was previously forecast to crest as high as almost 20 feet.
Officials in multiple communities including Archuleta County and the Town of South Fork issued mandatory evacuation orders or urged residents to leave before water levels peaked. Officials told people in low-lying areas around Pagosa Springs to evacuate immediately.
Agencies including the National Guard helped thousands of people along the Rio Grande River and South Fork of the Rio Grande evacuate Sunday.
If you need help evacuating due to medical or accessibility needs, call 719-657-4221. Rio Grande County has emergency flooding informationWatch our video report from Monday morning below:
Archuleta County officials Sunday evening said water levels were "rising faster than originally anticipated."
The National Weather Service has a flood warning in effect for the area through Monday evening with a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” tag, according to an emergency message posted Sunday. The message said such warnings are not issued lightly and that dangerous, impactful flooding is likely.
How you can donate to flooding victims in southwest Colorado
The message said anyone in an evacuation zone must leave, including all low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers. It told people not to wait for the water to rise or for another warning.
During the 1911 flood, which wiped out most of what was then the town of Pagosa, the river crested at about 17.8 feet.
Town of South Fork officials said mandatory evacuation is in effect for:
South Fork
- South Fork of the Rio Grande from Wolf Creek Ranches on Highway 160 to the confluence, including Beaver Creek Estates.
- Rio Grande River from River Greens at the confluence to County Road 18.
Del Norte:
- Rio Grande River from County Road 18 to Del Norte.
- Town of Del Norte from the Rio Grande River south to 4th Street.
- Eastern town limits of Del Norte to the intersection of Highway 160 and County Road 5N.
Officials warned the response during the worst of the storm would be extremely limited. Helicopters were grounded, and people were told first responders may not reach them until the storm passes and conditions improve.
Crews are pre-positioned resources in high-risk areas so teams could respond as quickly as possible. Additional help includes:
- More ground search and rescue teams and equipment with the Colorado National Guard
- Additional aircraft and air support
- Specialized rescue teams
The American Red Cross has opened evacuation shelters in multiple locations across Southwest Colorado. They are urging residents unable to return home to utilize their shelters in the following locations:
- La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Avenue, Durango
- Pagosa Lakes Property HOA Clubhouse, 230 Port Avenue, Pagosa Springs
- Knights of Columbus, 521 Spruce Street, La Jara
Open Door Church is also being used as an evacuation shelter. The church is located at 110 Trinity Lane in Pagosa Springs.
Small animals can be taken to the Humane Society at 463 Cloman Boulevard. Large animals can be taken to Archuleta County Fairgrounds at 344 Highway 84.
Members of the South Metro Fire Rescue and Members of the Northern Colorado Water Rescue Teams were deployed Sunday to the area.
"If you have not watched the weather, basically what's happening is they're getting more weather coming in today through tonight. Supposed to crest around midnight tonight. It's supposed to be at levels that haven't been seen since 1911, and that pretty much wiped out that area. So we don't know exactly what we're up against. We'll find out more once we get there," a South Metro Fire official told team members before deploying Sunday morning.
Officials said Pagosa Springs closed to all incoming traffic at 2 p.m. Sunday. Traffic is allowed to leave, but incoming traffic won't be able to enter including re-entry into the area.
Traffic control points include:
Highway 160
- Highway 84
- 14th Street
- County Road 119
- County Road 500/Apache St. at the radio station
- Hurt Lane/Stollsteimer Road
- Oakridge Drive
Additional traffic control points are:
- Cemetery Road (County Road 411) and Crestview Drive
- County Road 500 and Cascade
Road closures can be found at cotrip.org.
People who have medical needs, rely on electrically powered medical equipment or feel unsafe for any reason should move to a safe location now.
Emergency Contacts
Emergencies: 911
Evacuation Assistance: 970-731-2160
County Incident Call Center: 970-508-9928 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Emergency evacuation assistance: 719-657-4221
Flooding and evacuations hotline: 719-873-1030 ext: 1
211 Colorado
Large animal sheltering: 719-850-2139
The latest updates can be found on Pagosa Springs' website.
This story was originally published by Veronica Acosta with the Scripps News Group station in Denver.
