SOUTH FORK — Flood waters have taken over a staple of South Fork, overwhelming the Fun Valley Family Resort and leaving its general managers at a loss for words.
Mike and Kathy Smith, general managers of the Fun Valley Family Resort, waded through their livelihood after the water took over the seasonal park.
"It just it took your breath away," Kathy Smith said. "Fun Valley is home to a lot of people and I always get choked up."
Because the park is seasonal, it was closed when the flooding hit — something Mike Smith calls "fortunate."
"When I came in here looking at all the devastations, the bridges, the cabins that ended up in the water, all of this, and I was thinking, you know, had we been open and this happened," Smith said. "You know, we're just blessed that we were closed because it would have made a major impact on the guests that were here, and they are the reason why we are here."
Those guests are likely some of the same people also staring down destruction. A spokesperson for South Fork Fire Rescue said 80 homes are evacuated, and all power has been restored in South Fork.
In Archuleta County, Sheriff Mike Le Roux said search and rescue missions are ongoing.
"We're definitely dealing with people stranded. But yes, at this point, there's been no loss of life due to the flood and no injury directly relating to the flood," Le Roux said.
He said large sections of county roads are no longer intact. For some people, the only way to reach them is through air support from the state's National Guard.
"We're encouraging people that we have limited air resources available. We we don't have this asset available to us forever," Le Roux said. "Please get out for now. It's better for you. We don't have the ability to sustain around the clock for weeks on end service to you if you don't have that. So we'd prefer you to get out of the situation you're in, and just keep your head on a swivel," he said.
Back in South Fork the South Fork Community Building — previously used for shelter — has been converted into a disaster assistance center.
A community meeting is scheduled for Monday night at 6 p.m. for Rio Grande and Mineral counties. It will be held at the New Hope Church in South Fork.
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