Rivers swollen by days of rain kept rising across the Four Corners on Saturday as crews in northwest New Mexico pulled people from flooded homes overnight and officials warned that the storm was not finished. About 1,500 homes across San Juan County had been evacuated by midday and more rain was in the forecast for the weekend.

Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said the county had not seen flooding like this in a generation. Emergency crews made at least 20 rescues overnight around Farmington and Shiprock and roughly 1,500 people in that area were left without power. No deaths had been reported as of Friday evening and the county's Saturday updates did not report any.

How it got this bad

About 4 inches of rain fell from Wednesday through Friday on ground that was already soaked. The region had been dry all summer until two months of steady rain soaked it, so the soil had little room left to take in more water. Forecasters said the moisture came from what was left of tropical systems that formed over the Pacific. Up to another inch could fall on Saturday.

The Animas River at Farmington crested near 12 feet on Saturday. That is its highest level since a 1927 flood and above the 11 feet it reached in May 1941.

Rescues from rooftops

Rescues began early Thursday and kept growing. By Friday evening crews had carried out about 60 rescue missions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent every resource the state had on hand, including helicopters that lifted people off rooftops. She pointed to as much as $3.75 million in state emergency funds set aside after last month's flooding. County leaders are asking for a presidential emergency declaration. Sam Gonzales, who chairs the San Juan County Commission, called it a terrible crisis.

In Bloomfield, police told people near South Church Street and Road 5005 to leave right away. Residents of a Life Care Center were moved to Farmington High School. A shelter at McGee Park is open and accepts pets and RVs.

Roads shut and water warnings

A 2-mile section of U.S. 64 west of Shiprock was closed along with 4 miles of N.M. 371 south of Farmington, a city of about 46,000 people. The bridge in Shiprock was shut too. Power was out on the south side of the river there, on the Navajo Nation.

Flooding knocked the Bloomfield water reclamation plant offline Friday and untreated wastewater reached the river. Officials said Saturday that raw sewage has fouled the river and told people to stay out of it. Kirtland, Aztec and Bloomfield asked people to cut back on water use. The county's sandbag supply is gone. Officials said they do not need volunteers or donations and asked anyone who needs help to call 211. A temporary flight restriction bars drones over the flood zone. Officials also said Navajo Dam is safe.

Colorado is hurting too

Across the state line, the San Juan River rose past 15 feet in Pagosa Springs early Friday. Only the 1911 flood pushed the river higher there. The crest ran about 3 feet above the flood that hit the town a year ago. Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for 11 counties and later added Conejos County, bringing the total to 12. National Guard helicopters joined the rescues, including one for two adults and two dogs trapped in an RV that was carried downstream.

La Plata County declared a local disaster and closed the Animas River to every kind of boat. Some evacuation orders around Pagosa Springs were lifted Saturday. U.S. 160 reopened at about 9:40 a.m. with one lane of traffic taking turns. A flood watch for southwest Colorado runs through Sunday morning.

Not over yet

Evacuated neighborhoods in San Juan County are not reopening for now. Emergency managers said some floodwater may go down but more rain is coming and river levels should rise again. At a Saturday afternoon briefing, officials told residents plainly that the storm is not over.