For people in southwest Colorado, this isnt their first flood.
Just one year ago, Pagosa Springs experienced major flooding when the San Juan River reached 12.82 feet, the third-largest flood on record there. Hundreds of residents and households were evacuated, and homes, bridges and roads were damaged. This week, the river climbed even higher.
But when the water recedes, another part of the recovery can linger.
The water comes and goes, and then the damage lasts for a very long time, said Alanys Chavez, a licensed professional counselor with Thriveworks based in Colorado Springs who grew up near the Four Corners region.
Chavez said the emotional toll can come not only from losing property, but from suddenly losing the routines that normally make life feel predictable.
Life changes, our home changes, our belongings, our routines change, Chavez said.
Chavez grew up in Chama, New Mexico, about an hour from Pagosa Springs, and said she has family and friends throughout the Four Corners region. She said she has also worked with clients concerned about anxiety surrounding weather, natural disasters and circumstances they cannot control.
That anxiety can become particularly complicated when disasters or warnings happen repeatedly.
It really impacts our safety, and our nervous system loves safety, Chavez said. It loves familiarity, it loves comfort.
She said repeated threats can lead some people to become hypervigilant, feeling as though the next danger is always just around the corner. Others may have the opposite reaction.
It can also go the opposite way of avoidance, right? And kind of the numbing or tuning things out and putting them out of our mind, not taking them as seriously, she said.
For people feeling anxious as storms approach, Chavez recommends shifting attention from what they cannot control to what they can.
I always say focus on whats in your control, she said. How can I be prepared? How can I stay informed? How can I have an emergency bag ready to go? How can I know the evacuation routes?
She also recommends acknowledging emotions rather than trying to ignore them.
Being able to acknowledge feelings and being able to name them, whether that's fear, anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, Chavez said.
For people directly affected by flooding, she said those emotions can also include grief over losing a home, possessions, or a familiar routine.
Parents may face another challenge: explaining what is happening to children without overwhelming them.
Chavez recommends giving children reassurance and information appropriate for their age, including explaining what their family is doing to stay safe.
That way, they can be informed and have tools, but also not be overwhelmed by the anxiety of the unknown and things that are out of their control, she said.
And Chavez said people shouldn't assume their emotional response should disappear as soon as the immediate emergency is over.
The change to what we knew as familiar lasts for much longer than those few days of rain, she said.
If worry begins interfering with someone's daily or weekly life, Chavez said it's worth addressing and considering professional help.
Her message for people facing another warning after already living through a disaster is a simple one: prepare for what you can control, recognize what you're feeling, and don't assume recovery ends when the water goes down.
