Rooftop rescues and evacuations as severe flooding soaks Four Corners region

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Rooftop rescues and evacuations as severe flooding soaks Four Corners region

2026-10-24 04:41 Last Updated At：04:50

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Severe flooding in the Four Corners region Friday led to water rescues — some from rooftops — and impassable roads, with some residents urged to evacuate low-lying areas of Colorado and New Mexico and others to stay where they are until levels go down.

The flooding was caused by heavy rain in the desert where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet, with more rain in the forecast through at least Saturday. Hundreds of people along the San Juan River in the biggest city in the area, Farmington, New Mexico, were told to evacuate.

Downstream, residents of the vast Navajo Nation braced for floodwaters not expected to peak until late Friday or early Saturday.

“Do not wait to make your evacuations. Make your preparations for yourselves, your families, as well as your animals,” Navajo Nation Deputy Police Chief Donnie Kee urged during a news conference.

The crisis capped a week of severe weather in which rain swamped dozens of homes in Utah and tornadoes blew off roofs, knocked trees onto houses and downed power lines in Arizona.

Rescuers used New Mexico National Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles Thursday night and into Friday to try to reach stranded residents, San Juan County spokesman Devin Neeley said.

“We’re picking people off of roofs and pulling people out of houses that have 3 or 4 feet (1-1.5 meters) of water in them, and there’s more water coming,” Neeley said.

Rains stopped — at least temporarily — but rivers were still rising.

“This is serious. We’re still sending deputies as I speak to get people out of their homes right now. In fact, our sheriff is damn near going to lose his home today,” Neeley said.

Some 600 Farmington households were told to evacuate, city spokesperson Gina Intoppa said.

Still higher water was on the way via the Animas River, a San Juan tributary that also flows south from rain-soaked Colorado, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in the news conference.

“People are not believing that it’s going to be as bad as it is. But you can see the water flow coming, you can see the surge coming,” Hebbe said, calling it a “once in a generation” event.

In southern Colorado, flooding was even worse than forecast and a full 3 feet (1 meter) higher than a 100-year flood on the San Juan River only a year ago.

Before midday, rescuers in a state helicopter were trying to reach two people stranded in a motor home after trying to escape floodwaters, Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux said.

“We have two adult people and we’ve got three dogs that are as well as they can be, being perched in the middle of a river in a vehicle that’s somewhat submerged,” Le Roux said.

Authorities were assessing who else needed help, including many whose homes weren’t flooded but were cut off by floodwaters.

Le Roux was not aware of any deaths or serious injuries.

In nearby Rio Grande County, trailers at a campground were surrounded by water. Trucks were partially submerged in other areas.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis had declared a disaster emergency in 11 counties.

In the city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah, a shipping container drifting down a street gave way Friday to a mess of mud and debris to be cleaned up as people who had evacuated earlier in the week returned home.

Damaged roads included Utah 24 through Capitol Reef National Park.

The risk shifted to Utah's southeast, where streams ran fast and high. Flood watches were in effect into the weekend, said Alex DeSmet, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake City.

Still, the Four Corners region could get more heavy rain this weekend, with up to half an inch (1 centimeter) forecast to fall in northwestern New Mexico.

The flooding was not unexpected after two months of heavy rain that ended a summer of drought. While parts of the Southwest are rocky with little vegetation and are naturally prone to flash flooding, the recent rains made flooding everywhere more likely.

Tropical systems coming ashore from the Pacific were the cause, forecasters said.

McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Wufei Yu in Phoenix contributed to this story.

Devils acquire U.S. Olympic goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Jets

A deal with the Devils ended the lingering saga of Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg.

Hellebuyck finally has a new home with New Jersey after the Jets granted the three-time Vezina Trophy winning goaltender’s trade request on Friday.

The Devils sent forward Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 seventh-rounder and long-term injured forward Nick Bjugstad to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck.

“It really does come down to what teams are willing to do and willing to pay,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said at a news conference in Winnipeg. "It’s not necessarily what I got. It was more like what other teams were willing to pay.”

The long-awaited, blockbuster trade ends months of speculation, a failed bid to move the U.S. Olympic gold medal winner and 2024-25 NHL MVP in June, and the Jets' suspension of Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp in a standoff that required the involvement of the league and the Players' Association.

“It certainly hasn’t been fun," Cheveldayoff said. “Connor made his choice to do how he chose to do it. And, as an organization, we had to act accordingly and we did. He asked for a trade. We told him we would do our best to make it happen. And if it happens whatever months ago when he first asked, we would have done it then. Unfortunately it took to this time now.”

The 33-year-old Hellebuyck, who backstopped the U.S. to Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in February, leaves Winnipeg after spending his entire 11-year career there. Hellebuyck joins Jack Hughes, who scored in overtime of the final to defeat Canada, with the Devils and immediately puts them closer to being a Stanley Cup contender.

When training camp opened, new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said he was very comfortable with the team’s goaltending situation. Since then, Daws and Jake Allen combined for an .880 save percentage, which ranks 23rd among 32 teams.

“When Sunny got serious, he got serious real quick,” Cheveldayoff said. “There was no beating around the bush with each other. We kind of laid our cards on the table and said this is what it's going to take.”

It was not immediately clear how soon Hellebuyck might be ready to play for his new team. He has been skating in his home state of Michigan while trade talks were ongoing.

Hellebuyck has five seasons left on a seven-year contact with an annual salary cap hit of $8.5 million. He leaves the Central Division for the Metropolitan, much to the delight of rivals who will see him less often moving forward.

“I don't mind,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "You knew he was getting traded at some point. You just didn’t know where. To see him go to Jersey doesn’t hurt my feelings.”

He becomes the latest high-profile American to depart Canada for the United States. In June, Ottawa dealt captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida, where he joined his brother Matthew. In December, Vancouver traded star defenseman Quinn Hughes, a brother of Jake and teammate Luke, to Minnesota.

The process to trade Hellebuyck became messy, especially after the goalie went public with his request to leave Winnipeg in September. The Jets suspended the goalie for failing to report for camp in a disciplinary move that extended into the season with Hellebuyck not getting paid.

The length of suspension became an issue with the league and union determining Hellebuyck would be allowed to rejoin the Jets on Friday. Instead, a move to New Jersey materialized ahead of Winnipeg hosting the outdoor Heritage Classic this weekend.

“Certainly wish I could have done it five or four months ago — whatever when the opportunity first started,” Cheveldayoff said. “We were looking, but here we are.”

The post-Hellebuyck plans went into motion over the summer, signing Stuart Skinner in free agency. The Jets claimed Clay Stevenson off waivers before the season began, and their combined .907 save percentage is seventh-best in the NHL.

Cheveldayoff said the plan is to carry three goaltenders for now.

The Jets were second-guessed for not dealing Hellebuyck in June, when teams had more options to prioritize salary cap space to make room to acquire the goalie. The Sabres were among the teams expressing interest in Hellebuyck, and were preparing to package a deal that included swapping first-round draft picks — Buffalo had the No. 4 selection, and Winnipeg had the eighth.

The challenge for Winnipeg became finding a willing trade partner to acquire a goalie with a high price tag and a lengthy contract well after most teams had set their rosters and had little salary cap space to work with.

“A goalie market is a little bit of a different market,” Cheveldayoff said. “You find out who has legitimate interests. You find out who has legitimate needs. You go through the process of what assets they have within their organization, and more importantly, what assets they are willing to move.”

Another question mark involved Hellebuyck’s age and track record of following regular-season success with a spotty playoff record.

After Hellebuyck went 9-8 in leading the Jets to the Western Conference finals in his playoff debut in 2018, he has gone 15-26 since since, with the Jets advancing to the second round just twice in their next six playoff appearances. In four first-round exits, Hellebuyck had a combined 5-15 record.

The disparity of regular season vs. postseason success was evident in 2024-25. Leading Winnipeg to the Presidents’ Trophy and winning the Hart Trophy as MVP, Hellebuyck recorded a career-best 47 wins, then went 6-7 in the playoffs as the Jets were eliminated in Dallas in the second round.

With a 345-208-55 regular-season record, Hellebuyck ranks 27th in career wins on the NHL list, and fifth among U.S.-born players. Among U.S.-born goalies with 300 or more career starts, his .916 save percentage ranks fourth and 2.58 goals-against average ranks sixth.

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NHL coverage here