San Juan River floods sweep away home in Pagosa Springs

Floodwaters on the San Juan River tore through Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on Monday, sweeping a cabin and smashing it into a bridge. The river crested at approximately 17 feet after the latest rainfall, compounding damage from a flood that struck the town just seven days earlier. The rising water forced local residents to evacuate and cut off cell phone service across the area. Authorities also closed several roads and a bridge as water levels climbed through parts of the town.

Andrew Dustin, who left his home during the evacuation, reported that the water damaged roughly three-quarters of his neighborhood. He noted his own house remained safe because he elevated it three feet above ground level. In a separate incident, floodwaters carried a mobile home down the river before it collided with a bridge. Henry Maes, a local resident, described the scene to reporters. He said people were hurting and witnessed a house floating down the river in pieces about 30 minutes prior to the interview.

Maes explained that he was walking across a bridge closed to vehicles to reach the post office. He needed to pick up his heart medication and was unsure if mail transport had resumed. He stated he might not get the medication because he did not know if the post office could transport it. The flooding extended beyond Pagosa Springs to other communities in southern Colorado. In Durango, resident Rob Bitner returned from a vacation to find his area affected by the floodwaters.

Bitner said he had booked a hotel room for the previous night but was unsure if he needed to secure another room for the current night. He said the group did not know what the next steps were for their lodging.