Much of downtown Duncan was submerged Monday morning after heavy rains over the weekend caused a levee breach to flood the town.
Flow meter readings for the Solomon River at 12:30pm showed the Gila River to be in peak phase.
“It’s our turn,” Duncan Valley Regional Fire District Chief Hayden Boyd said Monday morning as Graham County anxiously waited to see what the flood gauge would bring to the Gila Valley.
About 75 to 100 residents of Duncan’s western edge and Duncan Floodplain were evacuated early Monday morning after the Gila River peaked at 22.27 feet in what is believed to be a deluge phase.
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The Klondike Wash on Klondike Road in Graham County was flooded with murky water on Sunday.
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In 2005, the Gila River caused significant damage to the approaches to the Solomon Bridge. County officials estimate that the floods caused at least $104,000 worth of damage.
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In 2015, the Gila River swelled to the base of the Duncan Bridge, threatening to flood Main Street, but by 1:00 p.m., the water level had fallen below the flood stage.
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In the 2015 flood damage, blacked out power lines and other utility lines were hanging inches above the flooded shoulder of Highway 70 between Safford and Solomons.
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The Klondike Road area is in poor condition, as this photo taken on Sunday shows. About 8 miles before reaching Klondike Horsehead Lodge, the road is completely washed away, becoming a veritable river bed with rough stones and murky water. The Bonita Klondike road is also in poor condition, but was passable for 4- and 4-wheel drive vehicles on Sunday.
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A weekend trip on the Klondike Road found areas in poor condition, as this footage attests.
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