'It wasn't just a home': Flooding displaces generations of a family near Bluff

BLUFF, San Juan County — Families in San Juan County are trying to recover after devastating flooding along the San Juan River in the last two weeks.

For Kayla Atcitty's family, flooding near Bluff took more than a place to live. It displaced relatives from a community where their roots stretch back generations, leaving them uncertain whether they can return.

"It wasn't just a home that they lost," Atcitty said. "It's their sense of security, their sense of safety (and) their way of life."

Multigenerational loss

This is not the first time Atcitty's family has been devastated by flooding. She and her parents lost their home in the same family community during a flood in 2003, when she was in elementary school. They moved away, but her extended family remained.

Atcitty said she can trace the family's ties to the area back to her great-great-grandfather. Her grandmothers, grandparents, aunties and cousins have called the community home.

"I really struggle with trying to portray to people how traumatic and heartbreaking this situation is, especially for my grandmothers," Atcitty said. "This is (the) only place they've ever known. Like, they've lived here their whole lives."

One of her grandmothers and four cousins are now staying in her basement, bringing the number of people in her home to 10. Another grandmother is staying in a cabin at an RV park near Blanding with Atcitty's aunt and her baby. While she said the situation works for now, it is not sustainable.

The family still does not know whether the damaged homes will be livable again. She worries about water beneath the structures and damage to insulation, problems she said contributed to mold and deterioration after the flood that forced her parents to leave.

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Insurance and other financial questions are also unresolved. For now, Atcitty said, the family is focused on immediate needs and helping the children cope with what happened. Her cousins are continuing virtual learning while displaced, and their animals have had to stay elsewhere.

"Right now, that's kind of like our focus is, like, trying to breathe and get through this initial shock," she said. "And then hopefully after we have some idea of the damage after this storm has passed, we can begin to start to look at those logistical things."

From shins to thighs within an hour

Atcitty said her family knew a storm was coming and began monitoring river levels using an online gauge near the Mexican Hat bridge. As the water rose, they prepared to leave, gathering important documents, medications and animals. However, by Friday morning, she said, the water was already shin-deep. Within about an hour, it had reached their thighs as they worked to get out.

"They were just rushing to save as many, as much as they could," Atcitty said.

Family members also tried moving belongings higher inside the homes in hopes of keeping them dry. Initially, she said, water had not entered the homes, but it eventually made its way inside.

Atcitty said a visible waterline reached just below a window — roughly chest-high on her, though she did not have an exact measurement. Mud now covers the floors, and many belongings have been damaged.

Atcitty has started a GoFundMe* on her family's behalf to cover the costs of the damage and displacement.

In the meantime, community members have donated, shared the fundraiser and brought meals. Some were strangers unfamiliar with the family's home community.

Atcitty said it has meant a great deal to their family that people have donated, made them meals and shared messages of kindness.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.