By Ruth Callahan
SHIPROCK, N.M. — Navajo Nation leaders are preparing for weeks of recovery after the San Juan River rose to historic levels this week, leaving homes in Shiprock underwater, forcing hundreds of rescues across the Four Corners and straining tribal emergency crews that were already stretched across several chapters.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Saturday that the river reached an estimated 23 feet at Shiprock overnight Friday into Saturday, with residents stranded on rooftops and others needing help to evacuate, KOAT reported. The National Weather Service had forecast the river there to reach 20.7 feet, just above the 20.5-foot major flood stage, according to the Navajo Times.
“This is not the next couple of days; it’s going to be the next several weeks that the Navajo Nation has to respond to the devastation we are feeling right now,” Mr. Nygren said, according to KOAT.
He said tribal crews were “out here really trying to respond and do everything that we can to mitigate,” and that he is working with Navajo Nation lawmakers on legislation to allocate $10 million for disaster relief.
A record crest upstream
Upstream in Farmington, the San Juan reached 14.1 feet on Friday, breaking a record of 12.3 feet that had stood since 1909, the Navajo Times reported. By late Friday afternoon the river had spread across its floodplain beside the U.S. Highway 64 bridges in Shiprock.
More than five inches of rain fell in places, sending water from the Colorado mountains into the New Mexico and Arizona desert, The Associated Press reported. At least a couple hundred people needed rescue after the rains intensified Wednesday. That count included 11 hoist operations by New Mexico National Guard helicopters, each lifting as many as eight people, San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said.
“The San Juan River is a hazmat situation,” Mr. Neeley told the Navajo Times. “Do not go in the water.”
Navajo Police Deputy Chief Donnie Kee warned families along the river from Farmington west through Upper Fruitland, Nenahnezad and San Juan before the crest arrived. “We know that the surge is coming. It has not reached us yet,” he said at a San Juan County briefing Friday. “Do not wait to make your evacuation.”
Mr. Kee also described the toll on tribal first responders after a week of flooding across the Nation. “Our resources are stretched a little thin right now,” he said.
Rescues across the Nation
On Thursday, Navajo Police and the Navajo Department of Emergency Management rescued 30 people from seven families in Dennehotso, Arizona, using a SHERP all-terrain vehicle and an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter, police said. In Rock Point, Arizona, Chinle Wash spilled over U.S. Highway 191 north of the chapter house. Residents told the Navajo Times they had not seen that happen since the early 1980s.
Rock Point resident James Jones drove home from Flagstaff and found water four to five feet deep running beside his house. “We can always repair things. We can always replace things,” he told the Navajo Times. “But human life is something that we can’t replace or repair.”
In Aneth, Utah, Chapter President Carma Claw said the chapter asked the Navajo Department of Emergency Management for help Thursday. “Their response is, please submit a form,” Ms. Claw said. “And so, we have done that and we’re awaiting a response.” The chapter bought its own sandbags while it waited, and the Utah Navajo Health System set up cots in the elementary school gym in Montezuma Creek.
Emergency declarations and money for chapters
The Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management declared a state of emergency, and Mr. Nygren concurred. On Friday, Navajo Nation Controller Sean McCabe told chapters they could use emergency funds and emergency purchasing rules for shelter, food, water, debris removal and repairs, the Navajo Times reported. The Hopi Tribe also declared an emergency after flooding displaced families in Moenkopi.
San Juan County, New Mexico, declared an emergency and is seeking a presidential disaster declaration. County officials reported no deaths as of Friday afternoon.
Shelters opened in Shiprock at Power House Church and First Baptist Church. The Diné Christian Center shelter closed as floodwaters rose, and evacuees there moved to the LDS church near Shiprock, according to KOAT. Shelters across the region were not full, and officials believe most evacuees are staying with friends and family, the AP reported.
KOAT reported Saturday evening that the Shiprock bridge had reopened, while the Bisti Bridge at N.M. 371 remained closed. The Nenahnezad bridge was also reported closed.
“This is not over”
Local officials warned that the danger had not passed even as the river fell from its peak. “This is not over, and we need you to monitor alerts,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said, according to the AP.
San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari asked residents to be patient with road closures. “There’s a lot of anxiety, and there’s a lot of frustration,” he said. “But please understand we are blocking those areas for your safety.”
More rain was forecast for the weekend. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has also flagged a risk of heavy precipitation in parts of the Four Corners from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2.
For Diné families along the river and its tributaries, the work ahead will be measured in weeks, as Mr. Nygren said. His $10 million relief proposal and the controller’s guidance on emergency spending are the Nation’s first steps toward that recovery.
Residents needing help can call the Navajo Nation Emergency Operations Center at 505-422-6597. In San Juan County, New Mexico, residents can dial 211 for help with services or finding family members.
The Buffalo Chronicle has asked the Office of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation for an update on the relief legislation and federal assistance requests.
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