Colorado rancher faces $200,000 in flood damage with no insurance

Matthew Martinez returned to his property in the Navajo River canyon on Wednesday to find his home buried in mud. The 60-year-old resident said the river had surged through his house and outbuildings twice in the previous two weeks. The second flood hit three days after the first and caused twice as much damage, he said.

Martinez lives about 25 miles south of Pagosa Springs in far southwestern Colorado. He has lived in the canyon for nearly his entire life and had never seen severe flooding before. Now his barn is damaged, his tools have washed downstream, and the river took out a corral. He is also missing one of his horses.

The damage stems from a series of storms that dropped heavy rain across the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo, San Juan, and Animas rivers all rose above their banks. Scientists say a strong El Niño event is making heavy rains more likely and intense in the Southern U.S. Other communities affected include Flagstaff, Durango, Farmington, and Sedona.

Martinez said several families in the canyon, some with roots going back 100 years, suffered similar damage. “We’re in trouble, all of us are. Not just me, everybody,” he said through tears during his first visit back. “Nobody expected this.”

Getting home required a four-wheel drive vehicle and patience over beaten gravel roads. Martinez was out of town for knee surgery when the storms hit. He and his fiancée stayed with a son and then in a hotel, but both locations flooded. They are now staying in an Airbnb.

Martinez does not have flood insurance because his house is so close to the water. He estimates his losses at at least $200,000. He worries about becoming homeless when his emergency voucher expires in a few days. “The government spends, you know, just millions and billions of money on overseas and everything. Right now we need that money on this side,” he said.

A FEMA representative visited his property after the first flood to take photos. Martinez said he knows he is on a list and will listen daily for options. He is considering asking family and friends for help with cleanup while his knee heals. Hauling debris to the dump costs $300 per load, a cost that adds up quickly.

The rain ended months of drought in the Four Corners area. However, the torrents washed away the rich topsoil on Martinez’s land, leaving only sand and rock. He is unsure how he will feed his remaining animals next year without pasture. “The normal might not ever be normal again,” he said.