The snow that fell in the Chuska Mountains this winter was a boon to the drought-stricken Navajo Nation, but now the seasonal thaw is wreaking havoc that severely floods the Chinle community.
Massive runoff from the snowmelt washed out of Canyon de Chelly, breaking dikes on Friday. Residents were told to evacuate on Sunday.
“We’re seeing more melted snow than usual,” said Garrett Silversmith, director of the Navajo Transportation Authority. “His one major embankment upstream near the mouth of Canyon de Chelly was damaged.”
The cause of the flooding is the silt-filled tinl wash, a long-standing problem that has been getting worse for over 12 years. Because of the silt, many of the washbeds are level with the surrounding land and floodwaters overhang their banks.
Silversmith said the agency mobilized an incident command post at the scene on Saturday. The Navajo Transportation Authority, Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority, Apache County, American Red Cross, Navajo Tribal Public Utilities Authority, Navajo Institute of Technology, and the Chinle Chapter all came to the location to provide resources.
“We are on our fourth day on site,” says Silversmith. “The first few days were tough. But by the fourth day, we were successful in getting the spill back on its course. It was a combination of many resources.”
Eileen Besenti of Canyon de Chelly Tours said homes were flooded and the spill affected the tours they operate.
“We did a lot of damage,” says Silversmith. “Members of the community were advised to evacuate for their own safety.
According to the news, the Navajo Nation Police Department, Navajo Nation Fire and Rescue Corps, EMS, Navajo Emergency Management Agency, Community Health Officers, Navajo Rangers and Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife are working to reduce the impact of the flooding. was on site to assist community members who received. Liberation from President Buu Nigren of the Navajo Nation.
Of the 47 referrals classified as urgent care, 45 responded. Displaced families are being housed by tribal housing authorities and placed in Navajo Housing Authority housing and local hotels.
The Chinlu branch and its staff are packing and delivering sandbags. Over 20,000 sandbags are gone and he’s been replenished with another 20,000.
Navajo Police have posted an update reporting that rescuers evacuated an 82-year-old woman and her family from their home. A woman lived with her son and her grandchildren from the age of 12 to her 21 years.
