From above: Photos reveal devastation caused by back-to-back historic floods in southwestern Colorado

A member of the Colorado National Guard looks out the window of a Black Hawk helicopter while surveying flood damage on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Southwestern Colorado was struck by two historic floods in just over a week, devastating communities across the Four Corners region, particularly Pagosa Springs, Durango and Archuleta County. From above, the landscape tells the story of the floods. Rivers have carved new channels through communities, washed away roads and bridges, inundated homes and businesses, and left stretches of the landscape blanketed by mud and debris.

Our photographer joined a flyover with the Colorado National Guard and used his drone to document the aftermath. His aerial photographs show the widespread destruction as residents begin the difficult process of assessing losses and rebuilding. Here are some of the images he captured.

All photos by Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America

Floodwaters surround homes along U.S. 84 south of Pagosa Springs on Nov. 2 in Archuleta County.

The home of James Bankston, 75, teeters over the river’s edge after floodwaters washed away much of its foundation on Nov. 3 in Pagosa Springs.

A flooded trailer park on Nov. 6 in La Plata County.

The remains of a home swept away by floodwaters on Nov. 2 in Pagosa Springs.

A house with much of its foundation washed away by floodwaters on Nov. 6 in Archuleta County.

U.S. Highway 160 bridge over the Piedra River on Nov. 6 in Archuleta County.

A contractor works to remove trailers from the mud at Fun Valley Family Resort on Oct. 27 in South Fork.

A damaged bridge on Nov. 6 in Archuleta County.

Vehicles are seen overturned and stuck in mud on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County.

Mike Smith, general manager of Fun Valley Family Resort, crosses a gap in a flood-damaged bridge on wooden planks on Oct. 27, 2026, in South Fork.

A flooded area on Nov. 2, 2026, in South Fork.

Debris is swept up as a strong current flows through the swollen San Juan River on Nov. 2, 2026, in Pagosa Springs.

U.S. 160, where mudslides affected the highway over Wolf Creek Pass on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County.

An RV sits on its side after being toppled by floodwaters near U.S. 84 south of Pagosa Springs on Nov. 2, 2026, in Archuleta County.

More from this collection

The home of James Bankston, 75, teeters over the river’s edge after floodwaters washed away much of its foundation on Nov. 4, 2026, in Pagosa Springs. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for the second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Workers clean up mud and debris at Pagosa Hot Springs Resort on Nov. 6, 2026, in Pagosa Springs. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a damaged bridge on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Colorado Department of Transportation workers and contractors gather at the site of a road collapse on U.S. 160 on Oct. 27, 2026, between Pagosa Springs and Piedra. Recent heavy rains have caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado, forcing evacuations and damaging roads and homes. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a damaged road and its culverts on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Structures are partially submerged in the Rio Grande at Fun Valley Family Resort on Oct. 27, 2026, in South Fork. The resort sustained significant damage from flooding caused by recent heavy rains across southwestern Colorado, which also forced evacuations and damaged roads and homes. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
People gather after an excavator dug through a road to create a passage for floodwaters and protect a bridge during flooding on Nov. 1, 2026, in South Fork. Heavy rains are causing severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for the second consecutive week, prompting evacuation orders. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a damaged structures on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Remnants of a bridge over the Rio Grande off U.S. 160 remain after floodwaters washed it away as seen on Oct. 27, 2026, in South Fork. Recent heavy rains have caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado, forcing evacuations and damaging roads and homes. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a shipping container overturned and damaged by floodwaters on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Floodwaters surround a gazebo near flooded homes on Nov. 2, 2026, in South Fork. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for the second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a damaged bridge on Nov. 6, 2026, in Archuleta County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
An aerial view of a pedestrian path torn up by floodwaters on Nov. 6, 2026, in Pagosa Springs. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
Floodwaters, debris and mud inundate the Malt Shoppe on Nov. 3, 2026, in Pagosa Springs. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for the second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
A collapsed section of Colorado 151 as seen on Oct. 27, 2026, between Pagosa Springs and Ignacio. Recent heavy rains have caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado, forcing evacuations and damaging roads and homes. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet looks out over flood damage as he rides in a Black Hawk helicopter on Nov. 6, 2026, in La Plata County. Heavy rains caused severe flooding across southwestern Colorado for a second consecutive week, prompting evacuations and damaging roads and other structures. (Cheney Orr, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Type of Story: Behind the Story

Clarifies for the public how a story was reported.

Cheney Orr is a photojournalist for The Colorado Sun through Report for America. Before joining The Colorado Sun, Cheney worked as a freelance photojournalist, covering everything from breaking news to long-term documentary projects. His first... More by Cheney Orr

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