Severe flooding soaks Four Corners region, prompts rooftop rescues and evacuations – NBC News

Severe flooding soaks Four Corners region, prompts rooftop rescues and evacuations  NBC News

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — 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 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 flooding ahead Rescuers used New Mexico National Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles Thursday