Deadly Southwest floods force evacuations and move a Colorado voting centre on the eve of Election Day
Historic flooding across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah has killed at least one person, forced evacuations and relocated a voting centre in Pagosa Springs ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.
A storm that brought historic flooding to the arid American Southwest has forced evacuations and rescues across four states, and is now pushing eastwards as voters head to the polls for Tuesday's midterm elections.
In Flagstaff, Arizona, a 73-year-old man was found dead early on Monday, 2 November, after reportedly falling into floodwater on Sunday evening, according to the Flagstaff Police Department, and police suspect a second death may also be weather-related.
More than 10 rivers, creeks and washes in Arizona and south-west Colorado surged past major flood stage, the highest level, with a few setting new record crests, including the Little Colorado River near Winslow, Arizona, and the Gila River near Solomon, Arizona.
More than 20 trillion gallons of water has fallen on the Four Corners states and Nevada in the past two weeks, according to calculations by former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue cited by the Associated Press, after a series of Pacific storm systems fuelled by El Niño disrupted normal weather patterns.
In Arizona, Governor Katie Hobbs declared a statewide state of emergency on Monday to ensure local authorities had the resources to clear roads, repair infrastructure and help displaced residents, while state air rescue crews assisted with rooftop evacuations around Sedona, where Oak Creek rose to a record level.
Evacuations were ordered in Yavapai County and Camp Verde, the community of Gisela in Gila County was evacuated in full, and in the Pinetop-Lakeside area residents reported sewage backing up into homes as manhole covers were lifted by floodwater.
In Colorado, the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs reached 16.81 feet late on Sunday night, close to the town's 1911 record of about 17.8 feet, flooding downtown streets before receding on Monday, while mandatory evacuations were also issued along the Rio Grande at South Fork, Del Norte and Monte Vista.
In New Mexico, about 20,000 people in San Juan County received alerts to evacuate areas within half a mile of the Animas, La Plata and San Juan rivers, the village of Chama was evacuated and cut off by road closures, and evacuations were ordered on the Navajo Nation, where highway closures and detours were also reported.
The flooding has directly affected Election Day preparations in Pagosa Springs, where a voting centre and ballot drop box have been relocated on the advice of the Colorado Secretary of State's office, with affected residents able to request a replacement ballot at any vote centre in the state, although those voting in person outside their home county will be limited to statewide races.
In Arizona, flooding and damaged roads in parts of the Navajo Nation and surrounding communities could make it difficult for some residents to reach voting locations, and the state has directed affected voters to a dedicated Navajo Nation voting information page, while in New Mexico officials said all polling locations would open as planned, and officials in Arizona's Coconino and Yavapai counties said they were not expecting major Election Day disruption as of Monday afternoon, even as swollen waterways were expected to remain in flood through at least Tuesday.
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