Overview
- Tribal police responding around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday found two adults and one juvenile dead near Newcomb after reports that people had been washed away by floodwater.
- The National Weather Service issued special briefings and broad flash-flood watches for parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado because moisture levels were unusually high for mid-September.
- The Newcomb area saw roughly 0.5 to 1 inch of rain in about an hour which ran off dry, compacted ground and produced fast-moving floodwaters.
- Local officials reported severe road damage in Dennehotso and extensive flooding in Chinle that led to targeted evacuations and strained sheltering options because some facilities were unavailable.
- Authorities have not released the victims’ names and the deaths remain under investigation as forecasters warn that additional storms could bring more flash flooding and debris flows in burn-scarred uplands.