Flash flooding emergency in New Mexico triggers multiple rescues
'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.
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