After two weeks of historic, destructive flooding, Governor Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency on Friday in San Juan and Washington counties.
It will provide state-level resources to local recovery efforts, as well as possibly federal assistance.
The need for those resources is high. Repeated flooding has cut off travel routes, damaged homes, and compromised local utility infrastructure.
Floodwaters in the San Juan River and surrounding soil also have E. coli levels 10 times higher than what would trigger a health advisory.
The state of emergency will be in place for 30 days unless lawmakers vote to extend it.
