Historic flooding that began Oct. 22 forced hundreds of San Juan County families from their homes and left behind millions of dollars in damage. In the days since, the community has shown up.
Farmington Municipal Schools turned two Monday night games into fundraisers, the American Red Cross opened a shelter at McGee Park, and volunteers filled thousands of sandbags to prepare for more storms in the forecast. Watch to see how neighbors are helping neighbors and where you can lend a hand. To donate or volunteer, visit sjcounty.net or San Juan United Way.
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Transcript
San Juan County was devastated this week when historic flooding forced hundreds of families from their homes. The floods have caused millions of dollars of damage to homes and properties across the county. In this desperate hour of need, hundreds have flocked to the aid of the people who need it most. You’re watching the local news network, brought to you by Fitness World and Quill and Quest Bookstore. On Monday, October 26th, Farmington High hosted Sandia for their final home game of the regular season. Across town, Piedra Vista High School hosted the Farmington High School boys and girls soccer teams. Farmington Municipal Schools made the decision to donate all proceeds made at the gates of both events to flood relief efforts.
We have a lot of families that are at both schools and around the community that have been affected by the flood, and we just want to do our part and help them out and do what we can to lessen the burden on our families around the community. Honestly, we don’t really have an expectation. We’re just hoping to have, get, get a little money to help our families in the community. We have a really good turnout at the soccer field today, so I’m really excited about that. Usually we, our gates are around 500. With Farmington, it might be a little more, a little less, but we just want whatever, whatever we get is going to be good for the community.
The American Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter at McGee Park for anyone affected, offering hot meals, phone charging, medical help, and other support at no cost. Lunch is served from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM and dinner from 5:30 to 7:00 PM with snacks and water available all day. Pets are welcome and crates are provided. No ID is required and visitors don’t have to stay overnight. United Way is collecting clothing and other donations and residents who need help can call 211. Local youth and other volunteers have come together to fill thousands of sandbags to help prepare for future storms on the forecast. San Juan College quickly rallied to set up a disaster relief center in the quality center for business building at San Juan College. The center facilitates relief efforts by bringing multiple agencies together. State disaster case managers are available to help residents in San Juan County with recovery resources at the Disaster Recovery Center. If you have been impacted by the flooding in San Juan County and need help navigating the next steps in recovery, their team is a free resource for you. These are just a few ways the community is supporting those in need who have lost nearly everything. Hundreds of volunteers and first responders have sacrificed time, money, effort, food, clothes, comfort, and more. Though the river levels continue to recede, millions of dollars of damage has been done and many are still left wondering what the future holds. There’s still so much more to be done. To learn more, to donate or to volunteer, please visit sjcounty.net. If you would like to make a monetary donation to assist with flood relief and recovery, please visit the San Juan United Way website at sjunitedway.org. And for more stories like this, visit LNN.news.
