Flash floods in US kill at least three in New Mexico mountain town
Municipal officials in the town of Ruidoso said that the flooding occurred on Tuesday afternoon, with monsoon rains causing the Rio Ruidoso river to swell to 20 feet (six metres), surpassing the previous record by five feet (1.5 metres).
'Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,' Mayor Lynn Crawford said in a news statement. 'The entire Village of Ruidoso extends our deepest sympathy and compassion to these grieving families during this unimaginably difficult time. We are united in our sorrow and our commitment to supporting one another as we face this devastating loss together.'
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with state authorities stating that emergency crews have carried out at least 85 swift water rescues thus far, including people trapped in homes and vehicles. The incident comes as the southern state of Texas is still recovering from devastating floods that killed more than 100 people and left more than 160 missing.
Dramatic footage from New Mexico shows surging, muddy floodwater sweeping away an entire house.
'I've seen the video. We don't know if anyone was in the house,' said Danielle Silva, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Ruidoso, a mountain resort town about 180 miles (290 km) south of the state capital of Albuquerque, has said that the flooding was worsened by burn scars left over from the Salt Fork and Salt wildfires the previous year.
'We know that the water levels seemed to be higher than they were last summer,' Silva noted. 'It is a significant amount of water flowing throughout, some of it in new areas that didn't flood last year.'
Areas that have been burned by wildfires and stripped of vegetation are often more prone to erosion and at significantly higher risk of flash floods, especially if they are steep or hilly.
The city says that a temporary shelter has been opened for displaced residents.
In Texas, rescuers continued to comb through mounds of mud and debris in search of more than 160 people who remain unaccounted for four days after flash floods tore through several counties.
But hopes of finding survivors were fading, and Governor Greg Abbott warned that the list of those missing could yet rise.
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