Severe flooding in the Four Corners region forces rescues and evacuations in New Mexico and Colorado

Update, Saturday morning: The San Juan River at Farmington, N.M., reached 14.1 feet on Friday, breaking the previous record of 12.3 feet set in 1909, the National Weather Service said, calling it "the flood of record." The agency said late Friday that the river had likely crested and would slowly fall, with a flood warning in effect until Sunday afternoon. Downstream, the river at Shiprock on the Navajo Nation was above flood stage Friday night and was forecast to reach major flood stage Saturday morning, the Navajo Times and the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Navajo Nation officials issued an evacuation alert for families near the river, and San Juan County officials reported no deaths in the county as of Friday afternoon, according to the Navajo Times. The paper said the county has declared an emergency and is seeking a presidential disaster declaration.

Severe flooding in the Four Corners region on Friday led to rescues, some of them from rooftops, and impassable roads, with residents of low-lying areas in Colorado and New Mexico told to evacuate, the AP reported. The flooding followed two months of heavy rain in the region, and about 4 inches had fallen on already saturated ground since Wednesday, with more rain forecast for the weekend, according to the AP.

In New Mexico's San Juan County, evacuations were ordered for parts of Farmington, Bloomfield and unincorporated areas as the San Juan and Animas rivers rose, KOAT reported. The station said at least 60 rescues had been carried out since Thursday. Officials opened a shelter for evacuees at McGee Park, KOB 4 and the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

A National Weather Service flood warning said the current extent of flooding along the San Juan River in New Mexico "has not been observed since before the completion of Navajo Dam in 1962," the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. "This is a once-in-a-generation time," Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said, according to KOB 4, adding that no deaths had been reported so far. KOB 4 also reported more than 3,000 power outages in San Juan County.

In southwestern Colorado, the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs crested Friday morning at 15.02 feet, the second-highest crest on record, after mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday, KOB 4 reported. In La Plata County, the sheriff closed the Animas River to all watercraft, and the Red Cross opened shelters in Durango and Pagosa Springs, the station said.

Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency on Thursday night for 12 southern Colorado counties, including La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma, and authorized the Colorado National Guard to help with evacuations and search and rescue, the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said.

Officials urged residents not to drive or walk through floodwaters and to follow evacuation instructions.