Arlyssa D. Becenti,
Arizona Republic
Fri, August 19, 2022
Residents of several Navajo Nation communities are cleaning up after heavy rains flooded homes in what chapter officials say are some of the worst conditions they've seen in years.
Powerful storms hit the community of Sheep Springs, New Mexico, which sits in the foothills of the Chuska Mountains. Unlike the Chuskas, Sheep Springs isn’t covered with trees or greenery, but is mostly dry, with little vegetation, and covered with sand and brown hills.
Sheep Springs chapter president Brian Yazzie said although the community has experienced flooding before, it's not been at the severity they had seen in recent weeks. The extent of the flooding in the area was captured in a video, taken by a community member and shared on social media, that shows flowing water covering a large part of the astonished family’s property and rising halfway up to their horse trailer.
“We’ve had smaller floods, but we never come across anything like this,” said Yazzie. “We are fortunate we didn't lose anyone in the community, that is the most important thing. Everyone was accounted for.”
He said there have been 15 families affected by the flood in a community with a little less than 1,000 in population. The chapter has received donations from different entities, and has distributed water and food to families in the area.
"This flooding did a lot of damage," said Yazzie. "Its something you don't really expect. Previous flooding we'd get water washing out the road or come near some residents, but this one actually went through a couple of houses. We weren't prepared for something like this. It has opened up our eyes at the chapter to better prepare for something like this."
On Aug. 1, the Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management declared a state of emergency due to flooding caused by the monsoon rains. The declaration allows local chapters to access additional resources to help mitigate the effects of heavy rainfall. Emergency Management officials strongly recommend that all Navajo Nation entities implement their emergency response plans and funding.
Tribal leaders visited Sheep Springs the day after the flooding. President Jonathan Nez said the tribe has seen heavy rain throughout the past few weeks and officials are working to make sure everyone is safe, stressing that the priority is the health and well-being of residents.
Nez said they visited the family who posted the video of the flood and he said they were in good spirits. Officials brought food and water and said the family’s home didn’t wash out, but they found damage to the bottom of their trailer. Items belonging to the family were damaged or washed away, but they told Nez were thankful no one was hurt.
Nez said they will have to re-evaluate the flood plain of the area where several other families live
“Sheep Springs had a significant amount of rain,” said Nez. “We had a heavy downpour, hail, the water that came out of the mountains went into the lower areas of the Navajo Nation and that includes Arizona and New Mexico.”
Navajo Nation: Family of murdered Navajo woman want justice in her death
Although prayers for rain to end the drought on the Navajo Nation have been made, the rain is creating a lot of road damage and property damage, said Nez. He said that in Chilchinbito, a community near Kayenta, the Navajo Department of Emergency Management had to rescue an elderly couple who were stranded on an impassable road.
“Our message has been to be prepared for the heavy rains,” said Nez. “Throughout the week, we are going to be seeing more rain. We are letting everyone know to prepare. If you don’t need to travel don’t go out.”
Delivering wood to elders throughout the Navajo Nation has been nearly impossible because roads have been washed out due to the flooding, according to Loren Anthony from the volunteer group Chizh for Cheii.
He said the new truck the organization got to haul wood in has been stuck in the mud numerous times and now the check engine light is on. Getting stuck in the mud is becoming a day-to-day norm for people who live miles off the main road and whose roads to their homes aren’t paved, which is most Navajo citizens.
“It’s only exposed more problems we have on Navajo Nation,” said Anthony. “There’s a lot of rural Navajos in these areas that need assistance. We have zero preparedness on Navajo Nation. Zero emergency management preparedness for anyone. There’s no education. No training. We are handing out PPEs like crazy. Cover your face, making these announcements, but when it comes to everyday life on Navajo how do you prepare yourself for something like this?”
Chinle, with about 3,500 in population and one of the largest communities on the Navajo Nation, has also experienced some intense difficulties during the monsoon flooding this month, according to Shawna Claw, Chinle chapter vice president and Chinle Unified School District board member.
“Recently during the monsoon, we have had flooding that has displaced families within our school district,” said Claw, referring to teachers' homes that had been hit by flooding earlier this month. “We had families moving at midnight. A lot of our families had to be put into hotel arrangements for the weekend. A lot of the families are moved out to the vacant housing.”
Arizona weather: Storm damage, power outages close schools, roads
Roads in the community have been affected, making it challenging not just for regular cars but for school buses. Claw said AmeriCorps volunteers are helping with calls they are receiving from communities dealing with flooding.
Earlier this year, a restored and improved 2-mile berm along the west side of the Chinle wash was completed. The project's primary purpose is to help prevent flooding in the local residential areas, which have experienced significant water damage in the past from monsoon rains and spring runoff from the Chuska Mountains.
Like Sheep Springs, the severity of the flooding in Chinle has been caught on video and posted on social media, where it has become widely viewed. In one video, a red four-door pickup truck is seen stuck in mud and water after driving through the flooded wash near Canyon de Chelly. Claw said the vehicle doesn't belong to any local resident and said the video is disappointing and reflects badly of the community.
“Those types of things are hard to take in especially when it paints a derogatory picture for our community,” said Claw of the truck. “That vehicle was not a community resident, or a chapter vehicle, it was actually a conservation group under the National Park Service doing trail work. I think people can be educated with that. When people see those precautions of not going into the water, I think people need to take that seriously.”
She said in all her years living in Chinle, this year's monsoon has brought flooding that have risen the highest within the washes and moved more swiftly. She said climate change that the Navajo Nation is experiencing plays a large factor in what is happening.
“Navajo Nation really needs to open their eyes in being better prepared for climate changes,” said Claw. “It’s real. It’s an actual event that is happening. We need to educate our community members. We need a better emergency response plan to be implemented across the Navajo Nation.”
Despite the flooding bringing challenges into communities, Yazzie and Claw both said they have gotten assistance from other community officials who have offered their help.
"Navajo Nation is expansive but we have a great network of K'é (kinship) happening," said Claw. "Where people feel comfortable to ask for help and in return we are trying our best to help others too."
Weather warnings remain in effect for the Navajo Nation this week due to periods of intense rainfall. If chapters need assistance with response efforts, they can email the Navajo Nation Division of Community Development at MonsoonRelief@NavajoChapters.org.
Arlyssa D. Becenti covers Indigenous affairs for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send ideas and tips to arlyssa.becenti@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @ABecenti.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Navajo Nation communities try to clean up from damaging floods
No comments:
Post a Comment