Raging floodwaters have ravaged northwest New Mexico, trapping households on rooftops and sparking frantic helicopter rescues as a highly effective Pacific storm unleashes chaos across the Southwest.

“Once-in-a-generation” flooding alongside the San Juan and Animas rivers slammed communities across San Juan County Thursday, with more water expected to surge downstream through the weekend.

New Mexico State Police and National Guard troops were seen pulling stranded residents to security and scouring the river in Bloomfield as floodwaters swallowed automobiles, poured into houses and compelled households onto rooftops.

Floodwaters encompass trailers at the Fun Valley Family Resort campground and RV park in South Fork, Colo., Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. South Fork Fire Rescue via AP

One dwelling was virtually utterly submerged KOAT NEWS

“We lost everything, everything… We were all freaked out and stuff, but one of us had to be the adult,” mom Aimee Goodday informed KOAT.

Goodday was jolted awake around midnight Friday when freezing floodwater started pouring into her trailer. She rushed her household onto the roof, where they remained stranded for 12 hours before rescuers lastly reached them.

“This is a once-in-a-generation time. This is singular and this is real. So far, we have not had any deaths but this is not anything that should be played with,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said at a press convention.

At least 60 rescues have been carried out between Farmington and Bloomfield since Thursday afternoon, according to KOAT. An toddler struggling seizures was also rescued by the New Mexico National Guard Thursday evening.

The flooding compelled around 600 households in Farmington to evacuate, while emergency shelters were opened at McGee Park to home displaced households.

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The metropolis of Bloomfield was closely affected by the flooding KOAT NEWS

The catastrophe was triggered by a Pacific storm system that moved inland across Southern California, dumping heavy rain and sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of runoff surging into the San Juan and Animas rivers.

The storm has battered a number of states across the Southwest, including Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

Severe flooding impacts northern New Mexico as extreme climate threatens areas close to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. KOAT ACTION NEWS

“This is a once-in-a-generation time,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a press convention. KOB NEWS

In Utah, the metropolis of Hurricane declared an emergency Thursday after “approximately 80 residential homes and 50 recreational vehicles” were impacted.

Southern Colorado also saw floodwaters rise as excessive as 4 to 5 ft inside some houses, leaving residents scrambling to escape.

Severe flooding impacts northern New Mexico as extreme climate threatens areas close to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. KOAT ACTION NEWS

At least 60 rescues were carried out between Farmington and Bloomfield KOAT ACTION NEWS

“As of this morning we had about 1,000 families evacuated,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis informed The Colorado Sun.

Polis also declared a catastrophe emergency, urging residents to comply with native officers’ directions as the area grapples with the devastating flooding.