Timelapse footage shows how quickly Texas floodwaters rose over causeway
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
House swept away as flash flooding hits mountain village in New Mexico
Floodwaters trapped people in their homes and cars Tuesday in a mountain village that is a popular summer retreat in southern New Mexico as monsoon rains triggered flash flooding and an entire house was swept downstream. Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. No injuries or deaths were immediately reported, but Silva said the extent of the destruction wouldn't be known until the water recedes. Officials urged residents to seek higher ground in the afternoon as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly 19 feet (2.7 meters) in a matter of minutes amid heavy rainfall. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings in the area, stripped of nearby vegetation by recent wildfires. A weather service flood gauge and companion video camera showed churning waters of the Rio Ruidoso surge over the river's banks into surrounding forest. Streets and bridges were closed in response. Kaitlyn Carpenter, an artist in Ruidoso, was riding her motorcycle through town Tuesday afternoon when the storm started to pick up, and she sought shelter at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company with about 50 other people. She started to film debris rushing down the Rio Ruidoso when she spotted a house float by with a familiar turquoise door. It belonged to the family of one of her best friends. Her friend's family was not in the house and is safe, she said. 'I've been in that house and have memories in that house, so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking,' Carpenter said. 'I just couldn't believe it.' Two National Guard rescue teams and several local teams already were in the area when the flooding began, Silva said, and more Guard teams were expected. The area has been especially vulnerable to flooding since the summer of 2024, when the South Fork and Salt fires raced across tinder-dry forest and destroyed an estimated 1,400 homes and structures. Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames, only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer. 'We know that the water levels seemed to be higher than they were last summer,' Silva said. 'It is a significant amount of water flowing throughout, some it in new areas that didn't flood last year.' Three shelters opened for people who could not return home. The sight brought back painful memories for Carpenter, whose art studio was swept away during a flood last year. Outside, the air smelled of gasoline, and loud crashes could be heard as the river knocked down trees in its path. 'It's pretty terrifying,' she said. Cory State, who works at the Downshift Brewing Company, welcomed in dozens of residents as the river surged and hail pelted the windows. The house floating by was 'just one of the many devastating things about today,' he said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Flash flooding emergency in New Mexico triggers multiple rescues
Several rescues took place following flash floods in New Mexico, as a man and two children were washed away on Tuesday. 'A DANGEROUS situation is unfolding in RUIDOSO! A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY remains in effect!' the NWS Albuquerque said at 5 p.m. E.T. on Tuesday. 'Do NOT attempt to drive through the floodwaters. The current will carry away your vehicle!' The flooding emergency in New Mexico comes as the death toll following flash floods in Texas has risen to more than 100 people. More than 160 people remain missing there. In a local storm report at 5.50 p.m., the National Weather Service said multiple rescue missions had started at Gavilan Trailer Park in Ruidoso, and another person was trapped in high water. "Homes starting to be moved by water," the NWS stated. A video shared on social media by Kaitlyn Carpenter, a Ruidoso resident, shows water taking a home down a river. The Albuquerque NWS shared images from the U.S. Geological Survey showing a river in Lincoln County, the Rio Ruidoso, rising about 15 feet in roughly an hour. "Stay away from the river! Seek higher ground NOW!" they wrote. USGS real-time data shows that water levels at the river, which is 30 miles long, were 'extremely' above the historic daily averages as of Tuesday morning. The NWS said it's possible that the Rio Ruidoso at Hollywood reached as high as 20.24 feet during the height of the flash flood. If that number is confirmed, it would be a record. Heavy rains overwhelmed the area, which is still dealing with the aftermath of the South Fork Fire, Fox Weather noted. Witnesses reported multiple incidents, including a home located behind a brewery being taken away by the swollen river in Ruidoso. Meanwhile, in Hollywood, spotters saw a man and two children washed away by the waters, while another saw a car being taken away by the floods. Many others were reported to be trapped, with several rescues needed for the trailer park. In a home close to Ruidoso Downs, a man and two children were reported to be trapped. In the neighborhood of Alto, an elderly woman needed rescue after becoming trapped in her home.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Floods death toll set to soar FAR higher than feared as sheer terror of victim who couldn't be saved emerges
The death toll in the devastating Fourth of July weekend floods which tore through Texas has risen to 111, but authorities fear that number could more than double in the coming days and weeks. At least 173 people remain missing five days after a '30-foot tsunami wall of water' wiped out cabins along the Guadalupe River and destroyed everything in its path. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that number could continue to rise as efforts to track down unaccounted for people continue. But hopes of finding survivors are rapidly fading as the hours go by and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the rescue mission is shifting to recovery. Officials confirmed today the last 'live rescue' was carried out on Friday. In the four days since, they had only recovered bodies from the debris. 'We will not stop until we identify, recover every single body,' Abbott said on Tuesday afternoon. One of the tragic stories to emerge from the floods on Tuesday was the death of 64-year-old Sherry Richardson. Early Friday morning, her cabin along Little Creek River in Liberty Hill, Texas, was swept away by the rapid moving waters. Her daughter Delilah Greenslet said Richardson phoned 911 as she tried to seek help during the crisis. She reportedly spent 30 minutes on the phone to a first responder while climbing to the loft of her two-story cabin before the line finally cut out. She was last known to be trying to get onto the roof of her cabin. 'I just find it so hard to believe that we had no warning,' Greenslet said. 'We need some answers here in Texas.' Authorities are still working to identify many of the bodies which have been recovered. The victims include at least 30 children, many were little girls who were enjoying their summer at Camp Mystic - a century-old, Christian, all girls camp. Some 27 campers and counselors tragically died when the cabins primarily housing eight to 10 year old girls were swept away before daybreak on Friday. At least five girls and 19-year-old counselor Katherine Ferruzzo are still missing. 'The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody who was affected by this flood,' Abbott said. He said many of those who are not accounted for were staying in state's Hill Country but did not register at a camp or hotel. In the hardest hit Kerr County, 87 people have died and 161 remain missing, while seven bodies have been found in Travis and at least 10 remain missing. Eight people have died in Kendall, and Burnet has suffered five fatalities, with one person still missing. Williamson County has tragically lost three people, with one still missing, and at least one body has been located in Tom Green County. Abbott also clarified that state officials were aware that flooding was a possibility over the Fourth of July weekend, adding that resources had been deployed to the area for two days before the storm hit. 'We were ready with the resources on the ground to be able to quickly respond,' he said, but 'no one would know that that would be a 30-foot high tsunami wall of water.'
