Disasters · Aneth and BluffAneth Bluff flood evacuation: Targeted orders return after heavy rainAired November 2, 2026 at 3:14 AM UTCWritten November 2, 2026 at 3:22 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07The Navajo Nation ordered residents out of low-lying areas near Anneth again.0:11Bluff also ordered residents and businesses along Cottonwood Wash to evacuate after0:14another round of heavy rain.0:16Flooding was already disrupting travel.0:18The unresolved issue is whether those instructions still apply and which roads and0:21shelter arrangements remain available.0:23On November1, we reported continuing flooding and threatened backcountry travel in0:27Garfield and Kane counties.0:29On October23 , we reported flooding around the Escalante and Peria rivers.0:33The renewed evacuation actions concerned communities farther east.0:36The two named evacuation areas are in southeastern Utah.0:39The Navajo Nation's instruction covered low lying ground near Annath.0:42Bluff's instruction covered residents and businesses along Cottonwood Wash.0:46Elsewhere in Bluff, the town told people to prepare for possible further action.0:50The Navajo Nation acted Sunday afternoon, November one.0:53Bluff's Cottonwood Wash action followed Sunday night.0:56Those announcements targeted particular areas, while the town continued watching for1:00flooding that could affect other parts of the community.1:02The Navajo Nation ordered the Anath area evacuations.1:05And Bluff ordered people along Cottonwood Wash to leave.1:08Bluff also made its community center available as a shelter, giving affected1:12households a named destination during the renewed threat.1:15The Bluff Community Center was the shelter named for this renewed action.1:18Anyone planning to use it still needs a current operating update before relying on1:22that destination.1:23Flooding had also closed parts of U.S.1:25Highway One hundred ninety, one and Utah State Route One hundred sixty two, the town1:29said.1:30It described heavy rain north of Montatello and highway impacts near Anath, and1:34urged people to be cautious while driving.1:36The closures affected portions of those routes.1:39Drivers need segments, specific information to work out a usable route, especially1:43if they're leaving an evacuation area.1:45Bluff asked everyone to have a seventy-two-hour go bag ready.1:48It also told residents they would be notified if their area needed to evacuate.1:52That wider readiness message accompanied the evacuation instructions already given1:55for Cottonwood Wash.1:57Flooding in Durango was sending more water down the Animas River toward the San2:00Juan.2:00The town said.2:01That upstream flow added to the concern as Bluff monitored its own river conditions.2:06Bluff said it had no indication the San Juan was anywhere near the previous Sunday's2:10water levels, but it remained on high alert.2:12The local evacuation along Cottonwood Wash came while officials were still watching2:16the broader river threat.2:17Some properties were still flooded when Bluff residents were allowed home after the2:20earlier emergency.2:22That October evacuation covered the riverside of Highway One hundred ninety, one in2:26Main Street, including areas south of the highway.2:28The later instruction named Cottonwood Wash.2:30Bluff lifted the earlier evacuation at five amperes.2:33On October twenty, six, by October thirty, seven families around Bluff had been2:38displaced by that flooding.2:40The renewed Aneth and Cottonwood Wash evacuation actions followed on November one.2:44Residents and business owners returning in October were told to use caution.2:47Several properties on Bluff's east side south of the highway remained flooded.2:51The seven family figure describes displacement from that earlier flooding.2:54The November one instructions need their own status update.2:58Their current boundaries and whether they've been lifted haven't been confirmed, and3:01the available road segments and shelter arrangements still need clarification.3:05The October twenty six return notice applied to the earlier evacuation.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSRelated coverageSame eventNov 2 03:56 UTCRoads wash out in Colorado–Utah flooding; La Plata sheriff closes county roadsBackgroundOct 22 23:49 UTCFlood wave forces evacuations in Hurricane, Utah; safe return unresolved
