Storm damages homes, property south of Blanding

Another week of wild weather left its mark on San Juan County.
A sudden and unexpected storm caused thousands of dollars in damage to several homes south of Blanding on September 17. It arrived in the mid-afternoon and left about an hour later.
The storm cut a roughly two-mile wide swath between Shirt Tail Corner and the White Mesa Mill. While three homes had extensive damage to their north sides, the storm seemed to center on the home of Dee and Lee Meyers, which had damage to all four sides of the building.
Several witnesses report seeing a funnel cloud near the home during the storm.
“It broke every window in our house but one,” said Dee Meyers, who is still collecting damage estimates from her insurance company. The storm also damaged her flooring, walls and ceiling.
When asked how much rain fell in the brief storm, Meyers states that it filled a 55-gallon garbage can nearly to the brim.
“It stripped the foliage from the trees, the sage brush, and even the grass,” said Meyers, who adds that there are still three new “lakes” in the area in what used to be dry fields.
While the damage to the other three homes was not as extensive as to the Meyers home, one of the homes does not have insurance.
In addition to damaging the homes and foliage, the storm also caused extensive damage to a number of vehicles.
After leaving the four homes, the storm moved to the Browns Canyon area, where it defoliated more trees and shrubs.
Several days later, a weekend storm triggered flash flood warnings and watches on Sunday, September 22. The bulk of the storm centered on northern San Juan County. No damage was reported as of the press deadline.
More than eight inches of rain has fallen in Monticello since the monsoon season arrived in mid-July. Several other areas of the county have received even more rain.