New Mexico mountain village braces for more rain following deadly flash flooding

RUIDOSO N M AP A New Mexico mountain village prepared Wednesday for another round of monsoon rains as crews scrambled to dig out from a historic flash flood that killed three people damaged dozens of homes and left streets and culverts clogged with mud and debris A man a -year-old girl and a -year-old boy were swept away from an RV park along the Rio Ruidoso as floodwaters raged through the area Tuesday The bodies were uncovered downstream from the park at a distance between of a mile and miles kilometers The two children were related but personnel were not releasing their names They had yet to identify the man who was killed Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford stated the region is devastated by the loss of life a tragedy that is not unfamiliar for the popular summer retreat which is about miles kilometers southeast of Albuquerque Before summer rains began Ruidoso had made much progress in recovering from last year s wildfires and post-fire flooding but village personnel acknowledged Tuesday s rain was too much to absorb As bad as it is it could have been way worse because people did heed the warning did get the higher ground Crawford announced during a radio address But we do have people that are in greater need currently than they were on the previous day Dozens of swift water rescues New Mexico s governor signed an urgency declaration Tuesday night and requests were pending for more assistance from the federal executive as search and rescue crews fanned out Wednesday in places that had been hard to reach the night before Village authorities continued to encourage people to call an urgency line if their loved ones or neighbors were missing or affected by the flood Urgency crews had completed dozens of swift water rescues before the water receded Tuesday including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars Two National Guard teams and several local crews already were in the area when the flooding began disclosed Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Assurance and Exigency Management Several roads remained closed Wednesday and the mayor mentioned it would take time to restore utilities in a few neighborhoods He announced damage assessments would take several days to complete Along the river pieces of metal and other debris were twisted around tree trunks while broken tree limbs were wedged against homes and piled on porches The water was thick with sediment The floods came just days after flash floods in Texas killed more than people and left more than people missing Residents urged to seek higher ground In New Mexico Crawford described an intense bout of rain that set the accident in motion We received three and a half inches of rain on the South Fork burn scar in about a minute period That water came directly into our public and impacted the society head on Representatives urged residents to seek higher ground as the Rio Ruidoso hit a high-water mark of feet meters above normal The National Weather Institution issued flood warnings throughout Tuesday with an upgraded urgency notification coming at p m At the Riverside RV Park owner Barbara Arthur and her guests scrambled up a nearby slope when the river started coursing through the site It was the sixth time the river rose in the last several weeks and by far the worst she reported The high water destroyed Arthur s house a nearby rental house she owns and floated three trailers in her RV park It s just a lot destruction you know not just a little bit like I had last year where I felt like I could clean up and get back in business This one I think has got me she disclosed A vulnerable area after last year s wildfires The area has been especially vulnerable to flooding since the summer of when the South Fork and Salt fires raced across tinder-dry forest and destroyed hundreds of homes Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer Matt DeMaria a meteorologist with the National Weather Utility in Albuquerque stated storms formed in the early afternoon over terrain that was scorched by wildfire The burn scar was unable to absorb a lot of the rain as water hurriedly ran downhill into the river Local functionaries disclosed a village-wide warning siren and evacuation system was not triggered while tailored evacuation warnings were initiated that included door-to-door visits by crisis personnel who urged people to seek high ground Shelters remained open Wednesday while food banks and donation centers handed out supplies The flooding also hit the Ruidoso Downs racetrack which had been preparing for a series of big races this weekend Crawford explained during a news conference that the racing season was canceled meaning the village would take an economic hit as the track brings in tens of millions of dollars each season Crawford reported people are anxious and afraid as the monsoon is sure to bring more rain throughout the summer The day before was a good lesson you know that Mother Nature is a much bigger powerful force than we are he commented And that we can do a lot of things to protect ourselves and to try to help direct and whatever but we cannot control Associated Press writers Thomas Peipert and Matt Brown in Denver Hallie Golden in Seattle and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this statement Source