PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. — Historic flooding has swamped homes, washed out roads and toppled RVs across Pagosa Springs, as the San Juan River surged to levels not seen in more than a century — and residents now face a recovery that could stretch for months.
The last time the San Juan River reached these kind of levels was in 1911, according to NOAA Meteorologist Kris Sanders.
"The infrastructure that was in place back then is completely different from what we have now, right? So we haven't really seen these impacts in decades," Sanders told Denver7's Tyler Melito.
While the rain has been off and on, and with reports of hail in the region as of Saturday afternoon, the water left behind a trail of destruction in low-lying areas.
In one area, camper trailers were flooded all the way up to their axles, and water rushed over the highway and through an RV park, washing away the road residents used to pull their trailers out.
For Chris Mott of Sherpa Real Estate, who owns a home along the river in Pagosa Springs, the floodwater came from directions he never expected.
"I always thought that the water was going to come from the river, but my house specifically is across the river from across the road from a pond," Mott described to Melito. "What the river did was the river branched out, overflowed the pond. So basically, we had water coming from all different directions."
Mott's garage took on roughly two feet of water, causing extensive damage, though his house fared better with minimal flooding. He credited the town's response for limiting the damage not just for him but for others in the community.
"The greatest thing about Pagosa Springs is that we just have such a great sense of community in this town," Mott said. "We called out the Sandbag Brigade, and the sandbag brigade just like, launched into action in San Juan River Village, where we live, and we just surrounded the house with stuff."
Even so, Mott described the broader scene around Pagosa Springs as devastating.
"Like, houses were moved and RVs were toppled over and people were getting rescued from the top of RVs," Mott said. "Our prayers and thoughts just go out to the people that were severely affected by the situation."
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The rebuilding ahead will not be quick. Mott said sheetrock will need to be ripped out about two feet up, a dumpster delivered and his driveway reconstructed — work he expects to take months.
The disaster is the latest in a string of emergencies for the community. Elizabeth Kirwin, the executive director of the Pagosa Humane Society, said the town has been battered repeatedly in a short span.
"I've been in Pagosa for two and a half years. We've had two major fires and two major floods," Kirwin said. "We have people who are now suffering the worst of the flood in the exact same area where the fire was two or three months ago."
Kirwin said the shelter faces unique challenges during disasters because it typically runs at capacity and cannot easily transfer animals elsewhere. The flooding also drives up the number of strays as frightened animals bolt from their yards.
"We're very fortunate that we have a community who will step in both from a volunteer perspective and bringing animals to us when they when they do bolt, you know, your strays go up a lot," Kirwin shared.
The shelter also runs a food bank and a safekeeping program for animals whose owners face emergencies. Volunteers have been picking up free food to deliver to areas in need as soon as they can reach them.
"We're kind of on our own. I mean, our first responders, we get help from outside, and we certainly had help for the fires. But our first responders are the ones who are really, you know, take care of us through all of this, and we take care of ourselves," detailed Kirwin.
Recovery crews, meanwhile, are stuck waiting for the ground to dry out. Simon Fresquez of SRF Construction has been involved in relief efforts and said the saturated soil has left heavy equipment stranded.
"Even backing up my truck in the driveway, and the water has saturated the dirt so much that even, I mean, it's unless you have a bulldozer or something that can get in there, the dirt is so soft," Fresquez described. "We have to wait until the ground gets more stable before we can even try to help anybody really."
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Looming winter weather adds another threat. The resident said a heavy snowfall could halt recovery entirely and shift the focus from storm cleanup to snowplowing.
"If we're trying to recover, trying to help people, and then we get two or three feet of snow, then everything stops," Fresquez said worringly.
Sanders said the forecast offers some relief, with little additional rainfall expected to significantly raise the rivers and only limited snow in the near term. But he warned that the altered landscape will complicate recovery.
"It's going to erode hills and and, you know, any kind of bridge and like, low water crossings. You have any kind of property that's near the river could change," Sanders outlined.
The flooding follows an unusually wet stretch tied to El Niño. Sanders said since Sept. 1, there's been some places in Southwest Colorado that have gotten over 20 inches of rain — nearly a full year's worth of precipitation.
"This could be the worst impacts that we're seeing from the El Niño," Sanders said.
Despite the damage, residents remain determined to rebuild and support one another. Kirwin said the community will pull through together.
"We'll be back to beautiful Pagosa Springs. I mean, it's an amazing place to live, and we're all grateful for being here and it's it's something to protect and something to fight for," Kirwin said.
Mott echoed that resilience and urged people not to count the town out.
"I would like to you know recognize or remind everybody that Pagosa is open, right, for business," Mott said. "Pagosa Springs is like heaven on earth, whether it's flooding or not."
