Federal Flood Aid Leaves New Mexico With 25% Bill

The federal disaster assistance President Donald Trump announced for New Mexico comes with a 25% state match. State agencies must cover part of a recovery bill that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham estimates could reach $300 million, including debris removal, road and bridge repairs, and other long-term recovery after flooding across the Four Corners region.

Lupita Villa’s children keep asking, “When can we go back?” Floodwaters reached their rental home beside the San Juan River in Farmington after the family evacuated. They returned to find muddy water several inches deep, warped laminate floors and much of their furniture destroyed. They’re staying with relatives on higher ground as they plan what comes next.

Who Pays for Recovery

Trump announced Monday that federal disaster assistance would be available, but New Mexico must provide a 25% match through its agencies. Lujan Grisham had raised concern about the requirement earlier that day. She said she would “frontload” state resources and described a broad search for public money: “I don't care if it's a billion dollars. The goal here is to identify every state, every federal, every local resource and get it where it belongs.”

State, federal and local agencies are organizing recovery, while residents contend with damaged homes, flooded roads and lost power. Hundreds of homes remained evacuated or cut off in Farmington, New Mexico, Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and other communities along the San Juan and Animas rivers. Officials were assessing when residents could return and utilities could be restored.

At least two people died in New Mexico. Isabelle Beulaygue, 39, was swept away while trying to cross a flooded arroyo in a vehicle Saturday in Santa Fe. In Socorro County, floodwaters rose and trapped residents in their homes before sweeping away 64-year-old Grace Clark. Valencia County Fire Chief Matthew Propp said nine other people were rescued during overnight search efforts. San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said 200 to 300 people had been rescued in the county over the previous few days.

Evacuation, Rescue and Contamination

Bluff, in southeastern Utah, became the latest town ordered to evacuate after the San Juan River flooded communities upstream in Colorado and New Mexico. Parts of the town of 250 people were underwater, Mayor Josh Ewing said, and more heavy rain was forecast for Friday night and Sunday. “It's the second flood that really gets you, you know, because everything is completely saturated. And so we're trying to recover fast enough to be on alert for what might happen,” Ewing said.

In Archuleta County, Colorado, the San Juan River fell below flood stage Monday for the first time in more than three days. Officials kept evacuated areas closed, while helicopters checked on people who couldn’t leave because of floodwaters and road damage. Sheriff Mike Le Roux said, “We do have a number of people cut off still but we're accessing those with the National Guard and our search and rescue crews.”

Officials warned residents to avoid floodwaters after inundated wastewater treatment plants. In Montezuma Creek, 14 miles downstream from Bluff, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority said wastewater treatment lagoons had been “completely breached,” potentially contaminating the San Juan River with bacteria and pathogens. Anyone exposed should take a shower or bath as soon as possible, officials advised.

The Water Keeps Moving

Flooding also affected the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. In Bluff, the river crested Monday lower than expected and mostly stayed short of a highway through town, Ewing said. Yet overnight floodwaters hit seven more homes and four businesses, bringing the local toll to 17 homes and five businesses since a surge on Friday.

Ewing said the latest surge followed a day of warnings, unlike the flooding after a levee break Friday. “It's kind a weird thing when you've lived in red rock country to feel like you live by the sea now. Our flood plain is just filled,” he said. Evacuations, official rescue crews, the National Guard and state and federal recovery funds are part of the response; residents are still waiting to learn when they can return.