SOUTHWEST COLORADO — Colorado Governor Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency on October 23, 2026, at 8:36 pm in response to flooding. The declaration covers La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma, Dolores, Hinsdale, San Miguel, Ouray, San Juan, Mineral, Alamosa, Conejos, and Rio Grande counties.

The Colorado National Guard is approved and deploying to the southwest area of the state to support local officials. The declaration authorizes the use of the Colorado National Guard, including air, ground, and engineering assets and unarmed personnel, to support flood and debris flow response, evacuation, and search and rescue efforts.

The State Emergency Operations Center transitioned to Response Level 1 on October 23, 2026. The verbal declaration engages the State Emergency Operations Plan, and the State Recovery Task Force was activated at Recovery Level 1.

Multiple state agencies are supporting the response to flooding impacts in the southwest corner of Colorado. The Department of Public Safety, Colorado State Patrol, and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are coordinating with local emergency managers, while the Colorado Department of Transportation is monitoring road damage and managing road closures.

All community lifelines are stable at the state level as of October 23, 2026. Showers and thunderstorms are continuing over southern and southwestern Colorado, with some potentially strong or severe, and flooding concerns remain elevated across the region with multiple flood products in effect. A Flood Warning has been issued for southwestern Colorado. Police Chief Steve Hebbe said, "this is singular and this is real".