Historic flooding damages Colorado museum, sweeps away home and disrupts Election Day voting

Historic flooding across parts of the United States has damaged buildings, swept away homes and disrupted Election Day voting in several states.

(CNN)- Historic flooding across parts of the United States has damaged buildings, swept away homes and disrupted Election Day voting in several states.

In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, residents are assessing extensive damage to the town’s history museum after the overflowing San Juan River washed away the ground beneath roughly half of the building.

The erosion has raised concerns that the museum could collapse into the river and potentially damage a nearby bridge. The powerful current also swept a house off its foundation, carrying the structure downstream before it broke apart. The flooding created additional challenges for voters participating in Tuesday’s midterm elections. In some affected areas of Colorado, voters were allowed to request emergency ballots and return them electronically because of dangerous conditions.

Neighboring Arizona also experienced severe flooding. In Winslow, the Little Colorado River crested at a record-setting 25 feet, highlighting the severity of the flooding across the region.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and flooding disrupted Election Day operations in central Florida.Several polling locations were relocated because of dangerous flooding conditions.

The disruptions followed an emergency declaration issued Monday by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis covering seven counties.

The widespread flooding has left communities dealing with damaged infrastructure, displaced structures and transportation challenges while election officials work to maintain voting access in affected areas.