Flash Floods Force Evacuations in Arizona and New Mexico as Colorado Town Awaits Record River Crest
Photo: The Guardian USHeavy rain caused flash flooding and mandatory evacuations across the Southwest on Sunday, including in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where officials warned of potentially catastrophic flooding as the San Juan River was forecast to crest above 20 feet late Sunday night. The town has more than 2,000 residents and sits in the Rockies near ski resorts. The Archuleta County Sheriff's Office said the river crested at about 17.8 feet in the 1911 flood that wiped out most of the old town. By sundown Sunday the river had reached about 14 feet, county spokesperson Vicky Schaffer said. Roads in and out of town were closed, and residents not under evacuation orders were urged to stay home.
In Arizona, officials in Sedona ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters rose and people were trapped in their homes. Yavapai County and Camp Verde issued similar orders, and Gila County ordered a full evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred along Tonto Creek. Communities in northern New Mexico also ordered evacuations, and several highways were closed.
The right-leaning Daily Mail and Newsmax run the same core wire account. The Daily Mail adds the most Arizona detail, with a long, dramatic headline quoting the 'catastrophic event' warning, and notes a woman being rescued. It attributes the warning to town officials and the sheriff's office on Facebook, and names Yavapai County, Camp Verde and Gisela. Newsmax uses a plainer headline naming Arizona and Colorado. The left-leaning Guardian US leads with the Pagosa Springs forecast, adding the 14-foot crest from Schaffer, the road closures and New Mexico's evacuations. It frames the flooding as another drenching for a normally arid region, and its headline centers on the Colorado town. Both sides agree on the facts, the 1911 comparison and the Sedona evacuations. They differ mainly in emphasis: the Daily Mail on Arizona rescues, the Guardian on Colorado's river level and regional road closures. NewsNation largely matches the shared wire text.
How the sides differ Right sources, led by the Daily Mail, stress dramatic rescues and Arizona evacuation details; left sources add the river's 14-foot crest and New Mexico closures; alternative sources match the shared wire text.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
The Guardian US leads with Pagosa Springs bracing for a historic San Juan River crest, citing the sheriff's office, county spokesperson Vicky Schaffer, road closures and evacuations in New Mexico and Arizona.
Not covering this story. None of the alternative or independent outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
Newsmax and the Daily Mail report flash floods and evacuations in Arizona and Colorado; the Daily Mail adds a dramatic headline, Sedona trapped residents, Gisela's evacuation and a rescue image.