Colorado Deploys Aircraft to Assess Flood Damage

State-owned Multi-Mission Aircraft are gathering images of flooded areas, washed-out roads, and cut-off communities in southwest Colorado.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Emergency Response

Colorado Deploys Aircraft to Assess Flood Damage

The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control has deployed both of its state-owned Multi-Mission Aircraft to assess flooding in southwest Colorado. The aircraft provide emergency managers with images and intelligence about flooded areas and communities cut off by rising water.

Why it matters

Floodwaters have washed out roads and left residents around Pagosa Springs isolated, and mandatory evacuations are in place in southwest Colorado. Real-time aerial intelligence helps state emergency managers decide where to direct response resources.

Both of the state's two Pilatus PC-12 Multi-Mission Aircraft are flying, equipped with high-resolution color cameras and infrared sensors that transmit video and images to emergency managers in near real time. The extent of damage and the number of affected residents have not been quantified in the available reporting.

The players

Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control

The state agency responsible for fire prevention and emergency response, which owns and operates the Multi-Mission Aircraft used for flood assessment.

Colorado Department of Transportation

The state agency that oversees Colorado's highway system and reported substantial flood damage to regional highways.

The details

The aircraft use imaging, mapping, and communications capabilities to gather information from thousands of feet above the ground and send it to emergency managers. The Colorado Department of Transportation has reported substantial flood damage to highways in the region, and the state has also used the aircraft to assist with flooding in New Mexico.

Aircraft were scheduled to return to the air over southwest Colorado on Tuesday.

Seasonal Patterns

The Division's Multi-Mission Aircraft program, which uses Pilatus PC-12 airplanes, is now being applied to flood assessment in southwest Colorado and earlier to New Mexico. The source does not provide historical flood records for the region to compare this event against.

Residents in southwest Colorado should follow mandatory evacuation orders in place for the area. Those near Pagosa Springs, where roads have washed out, should monitor official state channels for information on when access will be restored.

The takeaway

Aerial imaging from state-owned aircraft gives emergency managers near real-time views of cut-off communities and damaged roads when ground access is limited. Residents should heed evacuation orders and rely on official state updates as conditions change.