PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. — Last week begun a tough stretch for people living in southwest Colorado.
Historic flooding washed out roads, destroyed portions of highways and left towns and neighborhoods to pick up the pieces.
In Pagosa Springs, Jessie Springer said she has been working to keep her community informed and connect people with resources.
“It was like, 1:45 in the morning and myself and some of my co-workers went out and the riverwalk was completely underwater,” she said. “I tried to document everything and it was just unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
That was Friday morning, just hours before the water levels through that stretch of the San Juan River peaked at levels not seen for a long time.
Springer said she was closing up Pagosa Bar at the time, where she works as a bartender. While using the bar’s social media platforms to get information out, she said she’s heard many stories of people dealing with the floods; she said some hit close to home.
“I’ve had friends that have houses and ranches on lower lying areas,” she said. “So you know, some of them are like Airbnbs and stuff like that. So that’s their income.”
Around the town, highways are shut down. Among the biggest ongoing closures, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation, are Highways 151 and 160.
“We have a bridge that runs right over the San Juan River and I understand that that river is reaching a 500 year peak in flows,” Lisa Schwantes with CDOT said of Highway 160. “And so it is closed until the water recedes and we can inspect it, so that we can open up that roadway safely to travelers.”
Further southwest near Chimney Peak, Schwantes said Highway 151 is in worse shape.
“We have had some major significant critical road damage on Highway 151, and this is near Chimney Rock National Monument. We have a segment of roadway that was completely washed out. It’s gone,” she said.
Springer said those closures have been tough on Pagosa Springs.
“It’s kind of unfortunate because we’re kind of stuck,” she said. “We have one of our bartenders has an elderly mother that lives out kind of in a rural area. So she can’t even come to work because she doesn’t want to leave her mom because her house is in an area, might flood.”
On Sunday, Schwantes said CDOT began the process of working to repair the highways, enlisting contractors and experts to tell them what needs to be done and how long it will take.
This includes, she said, building a temporary road along broken parts of highway for local traffic and emergency responders.
“So, we will be looking in the next few days and the next few weeks at how we can repair these roadways,” Schwantes said.
But she said it will likely be an extensive undertaking, with broken roads and retaining walls needing emergency repairs. Nonetheless, she said CDOT is looking forward to being able to make those repairs and reopen roads when it’s safe, adding that she’s proud of everyone involved in the process.
“They run on adrenaline and they’ve got orange blood running through their veins,” she said.
And as those repairs begin, Springer said she wanted to get a message out to the public.
“We’re not shut down,” she said.
She said, despite all the damage the town is working to clean up, they are still open for business.
“I’m not downplaying the situation at all, but we, as a town, we’re still up and running,” she said. “Don’t be scared to come here. Just be safe, obviously. And thanks for all your prayers.”
Springer said a lot of businesses are without power, some homes are destroyed, and there is debris in common areas, but the town is still open for anyone able to visit.
And for those who do visit, Schwantes had some advice.
“Make sure you hit the cotrip.org site and always be prepared with emergency kits in your vehicle and make sure your vehicle is in good working order and you’ve got great tires and a, like I said, an emergency kit in your car,” she said. “We never get tired of saying it: know before you go. Be sure to check the weather forecast.”
For other areas impacted by the floods, there are still evacuations in effect. You can find a map from South Form Fire Rescue and find the latest information on their Facebook page.
Archuleta County is also posting information online.
Anyone wanting to donate to those recovering from the floods can do so here.
Colorado 211 can also connect residents with information on evacuations and shelters and help people in mandatory evacuation zones register for temporary housing vouchers. People can call 2-1-1 or visit 211colorado.org/disaster-response.
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