Colorado community rallies after historic floods in Pagosa Springs

Communities in southwestern Colorado are drying out after historic flooding submerged parts of Pagosa Springs over the weekend, but residents are bracing for more storms.

Standing water, debris, and closed roads marked much of the town on Sunday morning after extreme flooding left some neighborhoods under water the previous night. Evacuation orders have since been lifted.

While the San Juan River was still running high Sunday, officials said no injuries or deaths had been reported.

The flood risk has decreased for now, but it's only a brief respite.

The peak flow Saturday evening reached nearly 8,300 cubic feet per second -- more than 10 times the river's normal rate. Harris urged people to stay out of the water despite its appeal to rafters.

"It's not so much that this isn't a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of great rapids," Harris said, "but the issue is you don't know what's floating in this water -- trees, limbs, septic systems upstream that have been flooded and overflowed."

Officials said this was the third-highest flow ever recorded on the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs. Several of those record-setting floods have occurred in the past six years, raising concerns about the increasing frequency of severe weather events.

"I am getting regular updates on the devastating flooding in Southwest Colorado," Gov. Jared Polis said on Sunday. "My heart is with evacuees and those who experienced loss."

Floodwaters also reached the popular Springs Resort and Spa, where staff worked overnight to protect the property.

"The rain started Saturday morning and didn't let up," said Jesse Hensel, the resort's marketing manager. "Everybody came out and lent a helping hand. People were getting in the water, pulling out chairs, pulling out logs as soon as it started rising up. It was really, truly a team effort."

Resort workers placed sandbags around the grounds, but many were quickly overwhelmed by the rising river. Viral videos on social media showed umbrellas and patio furniture submerged in floodwaters.

Despite that, resort officials said losses were minimal. Of the resort's 50 pools, 10 had to be drained and cleaned, but the other 40 reopened Sunday. Guests were given free access to the resort's premium area due to the closures.

Hensel said the resort's team is preparing for another round of storms expected Monday, but hopes the next system won't be as severe.

"It's too early to tell the full impact," he said. The resort is also still assessing whether its 20-year-old pond fish survived the flood.

Forecasters are warning that the brief break in the flooding won't last long. A series of rain systems is expected to return starting Monday, with heavy showers and thunderstorms likely through Tuesday.

Monday's high is expected to reach near 57 °F, with rain and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Overnight, conditions will remain unsettled, with continued rain. On Tuesday, a steady rain is forecast to persist through much of the day, with additional showers likely overnight.

Local authorities say they will continue to monitor river levels closely and urge residents to heed any future evacuation notices.