
3 Dead as Flash Flooding Hits Mountain Village of Ruidoso in New Mexico, Officials Say
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. The water had receded by Tuesday night, and search and rescue and swift water rescue teams were scouring the town for the missing people while public works crews cleared debris from the roadways. Some cars were left stranded in the mud.
Peipert reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Denver, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
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Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hundreds Gather at High School Stadium to Honor the Many Lost to Texas Deadly Floods
Several hundred people gathered for a worship ceremony at a high school stadium in Texas on Wednesday evening to remember the at least 120 people who died in the catastrophic flash floods over the July Fourth holiday, as well as the many still missing. 'Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,' Wyatt Wentrcek, a local youth minister, told the crowd in the bleachers of Tivy Antler Stadium in Kerrville. 'Middle of the night.' During a series of prayers for the victims and the more than 160 people still believed to be missing in hard-hit Kerr County, which includes Kerrville, people in the crowd clutched one another and brushed away tears. Many attendees wore blue shirts with the school's slogan 'Tivy Fight Never Die' or green ribbons for Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County, where at least 27 campers and counselors died. Officials said five campers and one counselor have still not been found. Ricky Pruitt with the Kerrville Church of Christ told the crowd that they gathered intentionally at a place where they had celebrated victories and experienced losses on the field. 'Tonight is very different than all of those nights,' he said. The event was held as search crews and volunteers continued to scour miles along the Guadalupe River for the people still missing. In air boats, helicopters, and on horseback, crews looked in trees and mounds below their feet, while search dogs sniffed for any sign of buried bodies. With almost no hope of finding anyone alive, searchers said they were focused on bringing the families of the missing people some closure. The floods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the US since 1976, when Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon flooded, killing 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections. Officials have been seeking more information about those who were in the Hill Country, a popular tourist destination during the holiday weekend, but did not register at a camp or a hotel and may have been in the area without many people knowing, Gov. Greg Abbott has said. Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered, but the focus now is on recovering victims. The governor called on state lawmakers to approve new flood warning systems and strengthen emergency communications in flood prone areas throughout the state when the Legislature meets in a special session that Abbott had already called to address other issues starting July 21. Abbott also called on lawmakers to provide financial relief for response and recovery efforts from the storms. 'We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,' Abbott said in a statement. Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens. President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover and is planning to visit the state Friday. Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters. Catastrophic flooding is a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people. Although it's difficult to attribute a single weather event to climate change, experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans make these type of storms more likely. After the ceremony in Kerrville on Wednesday, children and families mingled on the field, and some students formed prayer circles. Licensed counselors and therapists were also on hand to meet with people. Andrew Brown, who was at the vigil to honor a Tivy High School soccer coach who died in the flooding, said he believes a warning system with a siren would be helpful. 'I'm sure there are things that could have been different, and I'm sure there will be going forward,' he said. David Garza said he drove an hour and a half to the stadium to provide support for loved ones affected by the floods. 'I'm from here, and I was here in the '78 flood and the '87 flood,' Garza said. 'I just wanted to be a part of this.' ___ Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas contributed to this report.


Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Historic Rainfall Leads to Deadly Flooding in New Mexico: A Timeline of Emergency Alerts
Three people died in flooding Tuesday as New Mexico's Rio Ruidoso's banks swelled amid the summer rainy season. The village of Ruidoso and other parts of New Mexico have received more warnings in the past few years as catastrophic wildfires have left vast swaths of once forested land without enough vegetation to absorb and hold back storm runoff. If a storm lingers over one of these burn scars it doesn't take much to create trouble. Ruidoso, a popular summer retreat in the mountains of southern New Mexico, was the recipient this time, getting what officials called historic rainfall that caused the death of three people and left dozens of homes damaged. The Associated Press reviewed a database of the National Weather Services' emergency alerts. Here's a look at the warnings that preceded the deadly flooding: 2:15 p.m. The NWS in Albuquerque sent a Wireless Emergency Alert to cellphones in the Ruidoso area announcing a flash flood warning. It cited the South Fork burn scar saying flash flooding was expected to begin shortly and would affect areas along the Rio Ruidoso and downstream of Ruidoso Downs. WEA alerts are targeted to cellphones in a geographic area. They can appear as the pop ups on our phones and or text messages. The language differs based on the cellphone capabilities but each initial alert communicated the need to avoid flooded areas. 2:47 p.m. The NWS triggered another wireless alert upgrading the situation to a flash flood emergency for Ruidoso. At this point Rio Ruidoso remained at just under 1.5 foot (0.45 meters) high. However, the alert emphasized a particularly dangerous situation and those in areas in and around the South Fork scar should seek higher ground now and evacuate. The Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services followed up shortly after with an alert warning that flash flooding was imminent in the Cedar Creek area and warned people to move to higher ground immediately. Two more alerts followed one from the NWS and another from Ruidoso Emergency Management which stated that flash flooding had been observed along the Rio Ruidoso just before 3 p.m. 3:30 p.m. A US Geological Survey gauge along the Rio Ruidoso located just north of a commercial district along US Highway 70 recorded a water level increase from 1.5 feet (0.45 meters) to nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters). Minor flooding can occur at 10 feet (3 meters) at that location per the USGS data. At the same time Lincoln County emergency officials sent an alert to cellphones regarding imminent flash flooding in the Ruidoso Downs area just east of the USGS river gauge. 3:55 p.m. Rio Ruidoso rose to more than 20 feet (6 meters) according to preliminary data recorded by the USGS gauge.


Al Arabiya
21 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
How Americans Think the Government Should Respond to Natural Disasters, According to Recent Polls
Most US adults who have experienced major flooding in the past five years think climate change was at least a partial cause, according to polling conducted earlier this year before the deadly Texas floods. But while Americans largely believed the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, an analysis of recent AP-NORC polls shows less consensus about whether the government should be involved in combating climate change to try to keep extreme weather from getting worse. The polls from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research were conducted in February and June before catastrophic flooding in Texas killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others missing. The polls found that Americans generally had a high level of confidence in the National Weather Service and their local weather report, and most thought the federal government should play a central role in alerting Americans to weather events. That trust could now be undermined as officials face scrutiny over flood preparations and the timing of alerts and evacuations. Although meteorologists warn that human-caused climate change can make bad storms worse, it's unclear if overall views of climate change–and the government's role in combating it–will be altered. About two in 10 Americans said they had experienced major flooding in recent years, according to the February poll. And among those, about seven in 10 said climate change was at least a partial cause of the recent weather events they had experienced. That's in line with the share of Americans who have been affected in the past five years by any severe weather event, including extreme heat, droughts, hurricanes, or extreme cold. Those living in the Northeast and the South were more likely to say they had been personally impacted by major flooding in recent years. About seven in 10 Americans believe the federal government should have a major role in tracking weather events and warning people about them, according to AP-NORC polling from June. That includes about eight in 10 Democrats compared with roughly two-thirds of Republicans. About eight in 10 Americans want the government to provide aid to affected communities and help with rebuilding efforts, the June poll found. But there was less agreement on whether the government should be combating climate change to try to keep extreme weather from getting worse. Just over fifty-six percent of US adults say the government should have a key role in combating climate change to try to prevent extreme weather from worsening. Scientists have said climate change has led to frequent and more extreme alterations in weather patterns. About eight in 10 Democrats say the government should play a major role in fighting climate change compared with about three in 10 Republicans. Following the disaster, National Weather Service and local officials disagreed about who was ultimately to blame for the lack of awareness about the flood severity. The AP-NORC polling showed that before the Texas floods, Americans placed a relatively high level of trust in the National Weather Service and their local weather report. About four in 10 US adults said in the June survey that they were extremely or very confident in the National Weather Service or their local weather provider. Another four in 10 roughly were somewhat confident in the National Weather Service or their local weather report. Confidence in the Federal Emergency Management Agency was lower. Before the floods, only about two in 10 US adults said they were extremely or very confident in FEMA, while about four in 10 said they were somewhat confident. The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at