DURANGO, Colo. (KDVR) — New drone video shows the Animas River flowing beyond its banks in Durango on Wednesday, washing up and chewing up debris onto the shore and slowly approaching homes.
“The water is over its banks – we had another rain last night. I looked this morning and it’s higher than it was yesterday, so you never know,” said Patrick Dillon, who has lived in Durango for 25 years.
From above, the quiet winding strip through the city now looks like a rushing torrent of mud and timber. Dillon said this week’s increase was among the fastest he has seen.
“This time of year is rare – in fact, our river almost dried up this year. We’ve seen it go from a trickling river to a raging river in about a week,” he said.
High water has crept dangerously close to properties along the river corridor.
“There are some homes built along the mouth of the river, and they’re really beautiful homes there. They’re probably about five feet away from the water getting to them,” Dillon said.
Even as blue skies returned at times on Wednesday, ominous clouds continued to gather over the mountains.
“Right now, it’s sunny, but there are really dark clouds towards the mountains, so who knows what will happen next,” Dillon added.
Dillon credited the Colorado Department of Transportation and other state crews with mitigation work that he believes helped prevent the situation from getting worse, including efforts to reinforce vulnerable stretches along the corridor.