At least three people were killed after a flash flood due to torrential rain hit the area of Ruidoso, New Mexico.
The Rio Ruidoso, a river in Lincoln County, rose to a record-breaking 20 feet — 5 feet higher than the previous high-water mark, and at one river gauge water levels rose almost 19 feet in a half hour. One house was seen being carried downstream by the fast-moving water a year after the same area was devastated by two wildfires, prompting dozens of rescuers.
Spokesperson for the village of Ruidoso, Kerry Gladden, told CBS News early Wednesday that a 4-year-old girl, 7-year-old boy and 40-to-50-year-old man “swept downstream by the unprecedented floodwaters that struck” and later found dead. The village said 50-60 swift-water rescues were carried out and search and rescue operations were still being conducted:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement that the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the South Central Mountains, including Ruidoso, at 2:46 a.m. MT. and was to be in effect from noon until 8 p.m. local time. A flash flood warning was issued for the South Fork burn scar in Lincoln County, New Mexico, at 2:12 p.m., and included a “considerable” flooding tag, which NOAA said “automatically triggers a Wireless Emergency Alert to be issued for the warned area.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that she signed an emergency declaration request to get federal response teams and repair resources on the ground immediately: “We’re encouraged that additional federal resources are already on the way. New Mexico is mobilizing every resource we have, but Ruidoso needs federal support to recover from this disaster. We’ve watched Texas receive the federal resources they desperately needed, and Ruidoso deserves that same urgent response.”
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