San Felipe Pueblo damaged during storms
The water level at a dam near San Felipe Pueblo got so high during recent storms, officials had to evacuate homes.
Tribal Administrator Debra Haaland said water levels got high enough to set off an alert system at the dam.
"A level two alert is that it's at an unsafe level and that we need to evacuate people from the flood plain," Haaland said.
Haaland said several homes were evacuated as a precaution.
"If the dam was breached and the whole thing collapsed it would destroy homes," she said.
Officials said there are drains in the dam to alleviate some of the pressure when levels get too high. But, they said those drains got clogged during the storms and levels spiked very fast.
Haaland said the runoff from the dam was so strong in the village that several roads were washed away and homes were flooded.
On Monday, crews were working to build up the berms around town to keep water away from homes. Officials say another strong storm could mean more damage to the pueblo.
They said they've learned from these storms though, and now hope to be able to improve their drain system in the village to better protect residents next time.
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