Colorado Floods Cost $27 Million in Public Damage
Back-to-back storms left Pagosa Springs and Durango isolated as officials urge Washington for aid.
By Diego Mendoza ·
Nearly $27 million in damage to public infrastructure has been documented in Archuleta and Rio Grande counties following two historic floods. Colorado officials released the figure while urging the federal government to provide assistance. The total does not include private property losses.
The San Juan River reached a record height of 19 feet during the initial storm on October 23. This marked the highest crest in 115 years for the waterway running through Pagosa Springs. Archuleta County officials estimate the first flood damaged more than 800 structures, including roughly 540 homes. Sheriff Mike Le Roux called the event catastrophic.
A second storm struck nine days later on November 1. The ground was already saturated from the first round of heavy rain. The San Juan River surged to 16.8 feet, approaching the 17.8-foot record set in 1911. In Durango, the Animas River rose from 4.5 feet to nearly 9 feet. Its flow rate jumped from 1,290 cubic feet per second to 13,000 cubic feet per second.
More than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell on the Southwest over a two-week period, according to former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue. Scientists link this precipitation to a supercharged El Niño pattern. The storms submerged communities and washed away critical bridges. U.S. 160 remained closed on both sides of Pagosa Springs, isolating the town of 2,000 residents. The only access route runs through New Mexico, extending a one-hour commute to Durango into a three-hour detour.
Cleanup efforts rely heavily on local volunteers. Residents with shovels cleared mud from basements and yards in Durango and Pagosa Springs. Construction companies helped clear roads without charging for their labor. In Pagosa Springs, the historic hot springs reopened Thursday with 30 of its 50 pools operational. Jesse Hensle, the resort’s vice president of marketing, said the community remains cut off from normal services.
At Riff Raff Brewing Company, owner Jeremy Cox used a generator to power the bar for its first reopening since the storms. Locals gathered to swap stories and check on one another. Brooke Willis, who lives along Colorado 151, stayed with her elderly neighbors during the flood. She and her husband used tea lights from their recent wedding to light their home while waiting for power to return.
The Pagosa Springs History Museum sits on a ledge above the San Juan River. Rushing waters eroded the ground beneath the building during the surge. Museum officials are saving contents before the structure falls into the river. They plan to rebuild the collection and are accepting donations.
