Floodwaters recede in Durango as neighbors recover

DURANGO, Colo. – Floodwaters in Durango have receded after heavy rain sent mud into streets and homes and pushed the Animas River to nearly 13,000 cubic feet per second.

Heavy rain sent floodwaters through Durango over the weekend. The Animas River, which runs through Durango and down to Farmington, surged Monday morning.

Durango Police Chief Brice Current said emergency crews focused first on rescues and people with urgent medical needs as conditions got worse.

“You have the fire department up at a trailer park that was flooding, watching the propane tanks start to float and then pop off one at a time, and make their way into the river,” said Current.

“You got to think about people that, you know, there’s different levels of emergency. My carpet’s wet, my doorknob’s wet. You know, and maybe I don’t have oxygen, or my oxygen’s running low. And so we had to prioritize all of those first.” said Current.

Neighbors devastated

Michelle Palacios, an evacuated Durango resident, said she spent the night worried about her home, her friends and her neighbors.

“During that night, definitely was very emotional, like not knowing, you know, what would happen to my home, my friends, if my neighbors were gonna be okay. It definitely was very scary.” said Palacios.

The flooding also disrupted the wider community. Purgatory Ski Resort reported storm impacts, and Fort Lewis College closed for two days before reopening Wednesday.

At the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the American Red Cross has helped displaced families with shelter, food and supplies.

“We’ve had people that are actually affected by the floods still helping their neighbors, and we’ve had all sorts of people who are really fortunate they weren’t affected by these floods of recent, just bringing constant supplies over.” said Roger Enix.

Crews are clearing mud and debris, but officials said the full extent of the damage remains unknown. The city has issued an emergency disaster declaration and officials said they do not yet have a financial estimate.

“I’m so happy that my family’s safe and that my neighbors are okay and that my home’s okay. But witnessing the other neighbor’s house is like completely flooded, like really just breaks my heart.” said Palacios.

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