Rushing water, flooding leads to evacuations in southwestern Colorado as record-breaking rain falls

The San Juan River has overflowed in some areas in southwestern Colorado, prompting evacuations in Pagosa Springs. Nearly 100 people were asked to leave their homes late Monday.

The river peaked at 11-and-a-half feet over the weekend and there are concerns it could rise to that level once again. 

Mandatory evacuations were put in place on the south side of the San Juan River Village, about 6 miles north of Pagosa Springs. 

A Red Cross shelter opened Monday at the Ross Aragon Community Center, located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. in Pagosa Springs, to accommodate those out of their homes. 

"Everybody is just basically trying to figure out where they're going to stay and what to do with their animals, and whether or not everybody's livelihoods are still going to be there to go back to," said Roy Mitchell. 

The Archuletta County Sheriff's Office said they hope to lift those evacuations by Tuesday afternoon.   

"I don't think the water's really going to get to our trailer, but we do have to move out of here just in case. You know, it's especially for our little one. It's been super scary," said Lisa Mitchell.     

Pagosa Springs Town Manager David Harris said he was concerned about the stability of the infrastructure with the rising water. 

He said a sewage pipe under the U.S. Highway 160 bridge was damaged in flooding over the weekend. Harris said crews are busy trying to assess damage and make sure people stay out of the rushing water. 

"Our public safety teams, they're busy. We're stretched thin," said Harris. "It's a very active time, and we have to manage the situations as they come before us."

Highway 160 was closed to traffic for a time over the weekend due to the rising water. It was closed again over Wolf Creek Pass on Tuesday morning due to flooding in the Park Creek area, on the east side of the pass, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT said they don't know when the pass will reopen. Drivers were urged to take an alternate route during the closure. 

As the town prepares for the possibility of a historic flood, crews are also preparing for what comes after the rain stops. 

"We're going to have a debris issue that we'll be dealing with when this flood has receded," said Harris.   

Harris believes once the rushing water recedes, they will have a better idea of what they're up against. 

"We're at that point where we're doing triage. We're trying to manage what we can, and then once the river subsides, we'll be able to address recovery efforts and whatnot," said Harris. 

On Wolf Creek Pass, rushing water knocked boulders onto the roadway. Falling rocks smashed into one woman's car while she was driving. She had to wait for a tow truck in the rain.

"All of a sudden, there was a huge rock in the middle of the road," said the driver.  

Flooding also impacted Vallecito, an unincorporated community in La Plata County. At least 90 homes were damaged in Vallecita by floodwaters. Two homes have already been ruled a total loss due to the creek washing out underneath them.   

More than 390 homes have been evacuated since Oct. 11 in the Vallecito area, and a map of the evacuation area is online. According to the La Plata County Sheriff's Office, evacuations may be lifted by 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. Until then, deputies are escorting residents back to their homes to get medication or any other essential items on Wednesday, Oct. 15. 

According to CBS Colorado First Alert Meteorologist Callie Zanandrie, a flood warning is in effect for Pagosa Springs at the San Juan River until late Tuesday evening. A flood warning is in effect until midnight Tuesday for a portion of southwest Colorado, including the following counties: Archuleta, Hinsdale, La Plata, and San Juan, north of the Vallecito Reservoir. 

Vallecito is about 21 miles northeast of Durango, about 330 miles southwest of Denver, and about 30 miles north of the New Mexico state line.

Pagosa Springs is about 53 miles east in Archuleta County, about 275 miles southwest of Denver, and about 28 miles north of the New Mexico state line.