The disaster near Ruidoso, New Mexico, killed three people. One person is still missing.
Officials in New Mexico announced on July 9 that at least 200 homes were damaged during a deadly flash flood in Ruidoso a day earlier, and local emergency managers warned that the number could more than double as surveys continue.
“Things have changed,” Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford told reporters in an update on July 10. “There was a lot more damage than what we had assumed and what we thought in the beginning. … We’ve had to take a step back to move forward.”
The floods were triggered by monsoon rains, sending water rushing out of the Rio Ruidoso river and across the surrounding mountainside, and two burn scar areas from fires last year. While a flood watch was put into effect nearly 12 hours ahead of the event, the National Weather Service reported that the Rio Ruidoso reached the major flood stage of 15 feet within less than an hour of its initial flash flood warning.
Authorities in Ruidoso said in a July 8 statement that the river rose to record levels of 20 feet, sweeping away a 40- to 50-year-old man, a 4-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy, who were camping at a riverside RV park. Their bodies were recovered downstream.
Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift-water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including rescuing people trapped in their homes and cars.
One person is still missing.
“Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,” Mayor Lynn Crawford said. “The entire Village of Ruidoso extends our deepest sympathy and compassion to these grieving families during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Crawford added on July 10 that the flood damage was far greater than previously realized, citing damage to water lines and the distribution points for potable water.
Meanwhile, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took an aerial tour of Ruidoso and the surrounding area with other officials in the hopes of bolstering their case for more federal funding for the community. She said that she received partial approval for a federal emergency declaration, enough to free up personnel for incident management and search and rescue efforts.
She said the federal government would likely advance $15 million to jumpstart recovery efforts from the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That amount could climb to more than $100 million over the coming months as Ruidoso recently requested that amount in federal aid to convert flood-prone private lands to public property.
Ruidoso spent the last year rebuilding from wildfires and subsequent flooding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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