Flooding forces evacuations and rescues in US Southwest; tornado reported in New Mexico

Days of rain in the south-western United States have forced evacuations and water rescues, according to The Guardian and the Associated Press (AP). Both outlets report further flooding in the region. Both also report that the storms included at least one tornado.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement: "Families in Bloomfield and Farmington spent the night on rooftops watching the river flood their homes, and our national guard and state police crews have been bringing them to safety." She also said: "No deaths have been reported."

Further details reported by The Guardian

According to The Guardian, another round of heavy showers and thunderstorms was expected to hit the region on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.

The governor's Saturday statement said law enforcement reported hundreds of water rescues between Farmington and Bloomfield. The reports do not give an exact number of rescues or of people rescued.

On Friday, the San Juan River in Farmington ran 2 feet (about 0.6 metres) above its previous record, set in 1909, The Guardian reported. Rivers had risen since the rains intensified on Wednesday. Local officials forecast that they would continue to recede.

About 4 feet (1 metre) of water flooded the home of San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari, according to The Guardian. The outlet reported damage worth millions of dollars. The reports do not include an official estimate behind that figure.

County spokesperson Devin Neeley said floodwaters left mud and silt, much of it contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants. He said power outages continued in multiple areas and restoring power would probably take a few days.

A tornado struck Santa Fe on Saturday and damaged at least eight houses, including roof collapses, according to a city statement reported by The Guardian. No injuries were reported. The reports do not say whether this is the same tornado mentioned by AP.

The flooding follows two months of intermittent heavy rain from Pacific tropical moisture, after months of drought, The Guardian reported. Earlier deadly flooding struck the Grand Canyon and parts of New Mexico.

What each side says

Governor Lujan Grisham said: "Right now, our focus is saving lives. If you’re told to evacuate, go. Once the water recedes, the state will do everything in its power to help San Juan county families rebuild."

Sheriff Ferrari described the situation as stable on Sunday, with residents cleaning up and dealing with damage, according to The Guardian.

Neeley placed a different emphasis. The Guardian quoted him as saying: "It’s a pretty active disaster zone," and "We’re not on the downswing by any means." He said the county had no official figures on damaged homes or evacuations. He said he was not aware of any loss of life.

Vocemundi reviewed only the headline and summary of AP's report. The reports do not describe conditions in the Arizona, Colorado or Utah parts of the region in detail.

Analysis

Officials agree that no deaths have been reported. They describe the current phase differently, however. The sheriff calls the situation stable, while the county spokesperson calls it an active disaster zone. Without official counts of evacuations or damaged homes, the scale of recovery needs remains unclear. Sunday's forecast storms could slow the expected recession of rivers, or the water could keep falling as local officials forecast. Sewage-contaminated silt and multi-day power outages may shape public-health and rebuilding priorities. The recent swing from drought to repeated heavy rain is likely to draw attention to how the region prepares for flooding.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.