Keaton Buiso, whose parents live in the neighborhood, was out of town when the flooding hit. When he returned, he could not reach them. Floodwaters had blocked the roads in and out of the community, and he said he was stranded for days.

"Three to four feet of just water rushing straight to the house. Trees, debris, rock," Buiso said, describing the scene at his parents' home.

Once he knew access would eventually be restored, Buiso turned to social media to ask for help. The response was immediate.

"Made that post and within 10 minutes, I'm getting an excavator. I'll have it there in an hour," he said.

A neighbor's son brought a dump truck, a mini excavator and a skid steer. Family members, friends and complete strangers showed up to volunteer. For days, they worked side by side, clearing debris, moving mud and trying to redirect the water to protect homes and restore access to the neighborhood.

"It almost kind of wanted to bring you to tears," Buiso said. "We all put our heads down, we ground, and just did everything we possibly could each and every day to get a step forward, to get us a road, get us blocking the river or the creek."

The effort quickly grew beyond helping Buiso's parents. He said volunteers worked to protect and clear out about a dozen homes throughout the neighborhood.

At one point, while Buiso was in the creek helping redirect the water, his father called and asked him to come back to their home.

"I was like, 'This is bigger than you.' And he's like, 'I know,'" Buiso recalled.

He described the response as a neighborhood-wide effort, with people stepping in wherever they were needed.

"It was a community army coming together to, you know, to help everybody out," he said.

After a week of volunteers putting in 12-hour days, Buiso said the work has made a difference. But the neighborhood is still facing questions about what comes next for a long-term solution.

"We need answers. We need some sort of state money or FEMA or government or something, anything," Buiso said. "I never thought I would ever experience this kind of situation... I grew up in that neighborhood, and it does not look the same anymore."

Buiso said he knows the community will come together, but he believes more support is needed from outside officials. La Plata County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

The flooding in southwest Colorado has damaged infrastructure across the region, including a bridge that cut off the South Fork community as officials raced to rebuild before winter. For residents of Junction Creek, the volunteer effort has provided temporary relief, but the need for a coordinated, long-term recovery plan remains urgent.