Deadly flooding washes out roads, forces evacuations

WINDOW ROCK

Days of monsoon storms have broken apart highways, covered tribal routes with water and mud and forced evacuations in Chinle.

Navajo Nation road crews are waiting for water to recede before they can begin most repairs.

The flooding turned deadly early Wednesday in northwestern New Mexico. According to the Navajo Police Department, officers responded to reports of people being washed away in Two Grey Hills shortly after midnight. Two adults and a juvenile drowned. The incident remains under investigation.

Council Delegate Shawna Ann Claw posted a public notice Tuesday evening stating that residents along U.S. Highway 191 between mileposts 451 and 454 and in other low-lying flood zones were encouraged to evacuate on the Chinle Police Department’s recommendation.

Calls began coming in at 5:30 p.m., Claw said. Chinle police arrived first and were joined by other first responders, who used utility vehicles and a Sherp amphibious all-terrain vehicle for rescues and evacuations. Near one flooded home, a sedan sat in brown water past its wheels.

“The priority is to ensure families are safe,” Claw wrote.

The Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management was on site, and Chinle Chapter opened its administration building to support an incident command center. Chapter staff also worked on a berm. Claw said the American Red Cross had been alerted.

Claw, a member of the Commission on Emergency Management, said an emergency declaration signed by President Buu Nygren, Resolution CEM-26-004, is in effect.

Claw wrote that officials were coordinating three rescue operations Tuesday night as water levels began to recede. Chinle Chapter was also being considered as an emergency shelter.

The Arizona Department of Transportation closed U.S. Highway 160 in both directions at milepost 419, east of Dennehotso, Arizona, and listed the road as impassable. According to a Kayenta Township notice, traffic is being detoured through Many Farms.

The washout is within a stretch ADOT rebuilt with the Navajo Nation. The $19.7 million project covered 24 miles of U.S. 160, roughly between Dennehotso and Mexican Water. Crews replaced the top layer of pavement between mileposts 416 and 440, built up the shoulders, chip-sealed the surface and painted new permanent lane markings. The project also included erosion control work near milepost 440.

At the break, both lanes of pavement have buckled and split. Floodwater pushed slabs of asphalt upward and cut beneath the shoulder, leaving a deep hole. Residents said damage near the Dennehotso bridge has cut off the direct route to Mexican Water, forcing long detours around farms.

A Navajo DOT update listed damage in several places along Dennehotso Loop Road. Red, silt-heavy water carved channels through the roadway, leaving pavement edges hanging over eroded sandstone.

In New Mexico, flooding was reported along U.S. Highway 491 north of Tohatchi near Sheep Springs. Water covered parts of the highway and nearby flats, with only the tops of brush and signposts visible. Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for McKinley and San Juan counties, with high, fast flows expected in Naschitti Wash.

According to a Sheep Springs Chapter notice, a surge in calls for road service forced crews to handle high-priority roads first. Residents were asked for patience as crews responded.

Navajo DOT closed Navajo Route 30 in Mexican Springs, New Mexico, because of a flood washout. After the water receded, only a narrow strip of roadbed remained.

Navajo Route 36 near Northern Edge Navajo Casino was closed in both directions. Runoff spread sand and debris over the highway and left a small SUV stuck in the mud.

Route 54 near Pigeon Springs, east of Fort Defiance, was flooded from shoulder to shoulder. A Navajo DOT notice listed Navajo Route 12 through Window Rock to Fort Defiance as a detour.

South of Cornfields, Arizona, mud and debris were reported on Navajo Route 15 near milepost 95. Navajo DOT crews were sent to the area, and a department notice stated that a closure could follow if rain continues. Navajo Route 6 and State Route 264 were listed as alternate routes.

In a notice to chapter officials, Navajo DOT stated that crews cannot repair roads while water is flowing or pooled or while the ground is too saturated. The conditions could endanger workers, damage equipment and worsen roads. Threats to public safety and isolated families without road access will receive priority. Crews will first make roads passable, with permanent repairs to follow.

The notice also stated that Navajo DOT crews are not rescue personnel. Chapters were asked to report road damage through their agency planners with GPS coordinates, route numbers and photos.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a flood watch for northwestern New Mexico, including Farmington, Shiprock and the Chuska Mountains, from 11 a.m. MDT Thursday through late Thursday night. Forecasters expect more storms Thursday afternoon and overnight, with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Saturated ground is especially prone to rapid runoff.

According to a Navajo DOT notice, residents were warned against crossing flowing water or entering washes and were asked to check on elders.

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