Cibola County declared a disaster area
Grants, Milan, Seboyeta, Cubero, Acoma get more rain than manageable

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — All of Cibola County was declared a disaster area Wednesday afternoon by the board of commissioners.

This opens the door for more state resources to become available to the county since the county has used all of its own resources to battle the daily thunderstorms that have pounded the area and produced flooding since Aug. 3, said Peggy Jordan emergency management coordinator.

This declaration made by the commission is supercedes the emergency declaration made the the Emergency Management Office last week for the Cubero, Acoma and Seama areas.

As soon as Jordan and other emergency managers in the county learn who and where area residents can contact to seek help with damages and low cost loans, that information will be released to the public, she said.

Prior to the special 4:30 p.m. commission meeting, Cibola County Undersheriff Johnny Valdez and Public Works Director took separate flyovers of the county recording trouble spots and standing waters to show to the commission.

Civil Air Patrol pilots took the officials into the air and helped tape the county.

Also, prior to the late afternoon meeting, emergency response agencies and law enforcement agencies conducted a closed meeting to report to each other what problems they have been facing since last week in dealing with the rain and flooding.

Chavez checked Cubero and Seboyeta on his way home following the commission meeting and said the road between State route 124 and Interstate 40 at exit 108 was closed.

There was damage to homes and two businesses in the two communities, he said, but no further damage from the early Wednesday morning storm or the afternoon storm that struck the area also on Wednesday.

Chavez said there was noticeable damage to some box culverts.

Plano Colorado, on the east side of the county, had previous rain damage from July 31, Chavez said.

Based on information acquired from the overflight, "There is a lot of silt on the roads, which will take a lot of cleanup," he said.

Jordan said during the early afternoon closed meeting, the state's transportation department showed the group a number of photos of damage to roads and bridges.

One bridge in Seama is completely destroyed and a second one is under major stress, Chavez said.

San Rafael has been hit hard as well, with one man's yard becoming filled with illegally dumped tires.

"At a culvert in San Rafael I had three of my men trying, by hand, to keep the culvert open from the tires flooding down off the mesa and they couldn't do it," Chavez said. "It was like it was raining tires."

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: tiffin.independent@yahoo.com