Topline
At least three people—including two children—were killed by flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in Ruidoso, New Mexico, local authorities announced on Wednesday morning, just a year after the village and its surrounding areas were devastated by two wildfires.
File Photo: A sign at the entrance to the Upper Canyon neighborhood in Ruidoso, NM, which saw ... More
In statement, the Village of Ruidoso said the three victims were “caught in the rushing floodwaters and carried downstream during the catastrophic flooding event,” on Tuesday evening.
The authorities did not release the names of the victims but said the fatalities included a man between the age of 40-50, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy.
According to CBS affiliate KRQE News, the flash floods destroyed several homes, and dozens of people had to be rescued by swift water rescue crews, but at least three still remained missing.
A village official told the Associated Press that no deaths have been reported so far, but three people were hospitalized and are now in a stable condition.
According to the National Weather Service’s preliminary estimate, water levels in the Rio Ruidoso river crested to a record level of 20 feet, rising rapidly to that level within a few minutes amid the downpour.
Most of the water from the floods receded by Tuesday night, but first responders were still searching for missing individuals, the AP reported.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she has signed an emergency declaration to “get federal response teams and repair resources on the ground immediately.”
In her statement, Lujan Grisham said, “Ruidoso endured devastating wildfires and flooding last summer, and now catastrophic flooding is hitting this resilient community again. This crisis demands immediate action.” The Democratic governor noted that her state was “mobilizing every resource” but said “Ruidoso needs federal support to recover from this disaster.” She added: “We've watched Texas receive the federal resources they desperately needed, and Ruidoso deserves that same urgent response.”
The area around Ruidoso was the epicenter of two major wildfires in June last year that killed at least two people and destroyed around 1,400 houses and structures. The South Fork and Salt fires burned around 17,569 acres and 7,939 acres, respectively. A few weeks after the fires, the village residents had to also deal with flash flooding along the burn scars, which destroyed an additional 200 homes and structures.
The village officials said the flash flooding occurred when “heavy monsoonal rains fell on burn scar areas from last year's South Fork and Salt fires, creating dangerous conditions that led to rapid water rise throughout the village.” A NWS meteorologist also told the Associated Press that Tuesday’s heavy rains fell over areas that had been burned by last year’s wildfires and the burn scar area was unable to absorb a lot of the rainwater, causing it to flow into the Rio Ruidoso.
3 missing, house swept away as flash flooding hits mountain village in New Mexico (Associated Press)
People still missing after Ruidoso hit with historic flooding (KRQE News)