South Metro Fire Rescue is sending an eight-person swift water rescue crew to Pagosa Springs. The Centennial-based department announced the deployment on X on Sunday, Nov. 1, after the state of Colorado requested help with flooding in Archuleta County.
The team includes a water rescue group supervisor, a team lead and safety officer, and additional swift water rescue personnel, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.
Colorado Public Radio reported the deployment marks the first time the state has made such a request of South Metro since the Lyons flooding in 2013.
Why the call went out
Mandatory evacuations are underway in Archuleta County. The Archuleta County Sheriff's Office ordered residents in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra Rivers to leave, CPR reported. All other county residents were advised to shelter in place.
The National Weather Service (NWS) designated the situation as particularly dangerous. The Sheriff's Office warned it could be a "potentially catastrophic flood event," according to CPR.
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs was forecast to crest at 22 feet Sunday evening. It reached 16.03 feet, which did not surpass the record 17.8-foot crest from a 1911 flood, according to the NWS.
The NWS issued a flood watch starting at 5 a.m. Sunday for much of the Four Corners region. One to three inches of rain was possible through at least 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
Niki Carpenter, a public information officer for the state of Colorado, told CPR the new storm is warmer than the previous one, which dropped snow at higher elevations. She said officials expect significant snowmelt to flow downstream in addition to rainfall.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Pagosa Springs was closed to inbound traffic. Re-entry will not be allowed until authorities decide it is safe.
Emergency shelters opened at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Clubhouse and Open Door Church in Archuleta County.
