Conejos County town ordered to evacuate amid flood threat as Colorado works to restore essential road access – The Denver Post

Conejos County town ordered to evacuate amid flood threat as Colorado works to restore essential road access  The Denver Post

Colorado officials requested $65 million from the Federal Highway Administration to repair U.S. 160, U.S. 550 and Colorado 151 after the first flood. A small southwestern Colorado town near the New Mexico state line was ordered to evacuate immediately on Tuesday ahead of more expected flooding, while other communities nearby were just starting to dig through mud and debris from historic floodwaters that have devastated the region in recent weeks. The Conejos County Sheriff’s Office told Sanford residents to leave right away, to plan to be away from home for days and take medication, ID and important documents. A shelter is available at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 521 Spruce St.

The Rio Grande River is expected to crest at 9.3 feet in Alamosa on Wednesday evening, which is a flood stage for the river that’s normally about 3 feet deep, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration’s river gauge. Sanford, which is home to less than 1,000 people, sits halfway between Alamosa and the New Mexico state line along U.S. 285 and is surrounded by ditches fed by creeks that branch off the Rio Grande. More than 20 trillion gallons of rain have fallen over the Four Corners region and Nevada in the past two weeks, according to NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue. That’s equivalent of 10