New Mexico crews scour evacuated neighborhoods after floods, tornado

Unusually heavy rainfall and at least one confirmed tornado have triggered severe flooding across the Four Corners region of the Southwest U.S., prompting evacuations, power outages, and extensive property damage, according to a report by NBC News.

​A tornado touched down in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Saturday evening, while forecasters at the National Weather Service maintained flood watches across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Days of persistent rain, driven by tropical moisture and El Niño weather patterns, left soils heavily saturated and rivers surging over their banks. In New Mexico’s San Juan County and the Navajo Nation near Shiprock, floodwaters inundated homes, damaged wastewater facilities, and disrupted power supplies for hundreds of residents.

​Emergency crews in hard-hit areas like Farmington and Archuleta County, Colorado, spent Sunday conducting door-to-door welfare checks and assessing structural damage. Local officials warned returning residents of ongoing hazards, including potential contamination from raw sewage and compromised gas lines. In response to the growing crisis, New Mexico’s congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump to issue a federal emergency declaration to expedite disaster assistance.