Flood-weary US Southwest eyes forecast for more rain
[October 27, 2026]
By SAVANNAH PETERS and MEAD GRUVER
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Yet more flooding made parts of the normally
arid Four Corners region look more like an ocean than a desert Monday as
locals kept a wary eye on a forecast for still more rain ahead.
Damage in New Mexico alone after more than four days of flooding — only
the latest in a deadly autumn of soaking rains in the U.S. Southwest —
could total $300 million, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.
The latest town to evacuate was tiny Bluff in southeastern Utah after
San Juan River flooding swamped parts of cities and towns upstream in
Colorado and New Mexico.
With parts of his town of 250 underwater, Mayor Josh Ewing was worried
by a forecast for yet more heavy rain this weekend. After a few days of
sunny, dry weather, more rounds of rain are predicted Friday night and
again on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s the second flood that really gets you, you know, because
everything is completely saturated. And so we’re trying to recover fast
enough to be on alert for what might happen," Ewing said.
New Mexico assesses damage, awaits aid
Upstream from Bluff, in Farmington, New Mexico, Pagosa Springs,
Colorado, and elsewhere along the San Juan and Animas rivers, hundreds
of homes remained evacuated or cut off by flooded roads. Many homes were
still without power as officials assessed when it would be safe for
residents to return and have their utilities turned back on.
President Donald Trump on Monday announced federal disaster assistance
would be available to New Mexico with 25% to be matched by agencies in
the state. Earlier in the day, Lujan Grisham expressed concern about the
matching requirement but said she would “frontload” state resources for
flood recovery.
She estimated that the costs of debris removal, road and bridge repair
and other “longhaul” recovery could amount to as much as $300 million.
“I don’t care if it’s a billion dollars. The goal here is to identify
every state, every federal, every local resource and get it where it
belongs,” Lujan Grisham said.
At least two deaths were reported in New Mexico. Isabelle Beulaygue, 39,
was swept away while attempting to cross a flooded arroyo in a vehicle
Saturday in Santa Fe, authorities said.
About 50 miles (80 kilometers) south in Socorro County, 64-year-old
Grace Clark was swept away as floodwaters rose and trapped residents in
their homes. Valencia County Fire Chief Matthew Propp said nine other
people were rescued as teams worked overnight to find residents.
Between 200 and 300 people in San Juan County, New Mexico, were rescued
in the last few days, according to county spokesperson Devin Neeley.
Damage spread onto the vast Navajo Nation spanning parts of Arizona, New
Mexico and Utah.
Lupita Villa, her husband and three young children evacuated their
rental home along the San Juan River in Farmington on Thursday. When
they returned on Saturday, they needed muck boots and waders to reach
the front door. Once inside, they found their laminate floors warped
under several inches of muddy floodwater and much of their furniture
destroyed.
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Gary Delgado looks at damage of his home including the partially
collapsed roof in Santa Fe, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, following a
tornado that touched down in central Santa Fe on Saturday night.
(Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)
The family is staying with relatives on higher ground while they
plan next steps. Villa said her children are struggling to
understand that their former home is now unlivable.
“They just keep asking, ‘When can we go back?’” Villa said.
Colorado residents still cut off by washed-out roads
The crisis continued in southern Colorado’s Archuleta County. After
more rain brought another surge in San Juan River flooding through
the hot springs resort town of Pagosa Springs last weekend, the
river was back below flood stage Monday for the first time in more
than three days.
No further rescues were reported after air operations that included
the rescue of two people, three dogs and two cats from a
recreational vehicle washed downstream in floodwaters Friday.
But all evacuated areas remained closed. Responders were landing in
helicopters to check on people still unable to leave their homes due
to the floodwaters and road damage.
“We do have a number of people cut off still but we’re accessing
those with the National Guard and our search and rescue crews,”
Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux said.
Utah town surveys desert that now looks like a sea
Officials throughout the region cautioned people to avoid entering
floodwaters after wastewater treatment plants got flooded. If you
are exposed, they said, take a shower or bath as soon as possible.
In Montezuma Creek, 14 miles (22 kilometers) downstream from Bluff,
the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority reported its wastewater
treatment lagoons were “completely breached,” potentially
contaminating the San Juan River with bacteria and pathogens.
The river crested Monday lower than expected in Bluff. The water
stopped mostly short of a highway that runs through town, said
Ewing, the mayor and a local firefighter who took part in flood
rescues.
It was cold comfort, though, after floodwaters hit seven more homes
and four businesses overnight to bring the local flood toll to 17
homes and five businesses since a surge on Friday.
Unlike flooding that followed a levee break Friday, Ewing said, the
latest surge happened after a day of warnings that higher water was
on the way.
“It’s kind a weird thing when you’ve lived in red rock country to
feel like you live by the sea now. Our flood plain is just filled,”
Ewing said.
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Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado. Associated Press writer
Jessica Hill contributed to this report from Las Vegas.
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