New Mexico flash flooding kills 3 in a mountain village

By MORGAN LEE and THOMAS PEIPERT SANTA FE N M AP Three people were killed when monsoon rains triggered flash flooding in a New Mexico village sending walls of water mud and debris rushing down mountainsides that have been repeatedly scarred over contemporary years by wildfires and post-fire flooding A man a -year-old girl and a -year-old boy were swept away Tuesday by floodwaters the village of Ruidoso explained in a comment The village is about miles kilometers southeast of Albuquerque Village officers disclosed no one else has been published missing as of Wednesday morning Mayor Lynn Crawford commented the region is devastated by the loss of life a tragedy that it not unfamiliar for the popular summer retreat Before the monsoon began Ruidoso had made much progress in recovering from last year s deluge and the mayor acknowledged that the village will have to start over in a few areas As bad as it is it could have been way worse because people did heed the warning did get the higher ground he revealed during a radio address But we do have people that are in greater need this day than they were on the previous day Dozens of swift water rescues Search and rescue crews were out Wednesday in places that had been hard to reach before dark on Tuesday evening Emergency crews completed at least swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars as the water rose Tuesday disclosed Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Safeguard and Urgency Management Two National Guard rescue teams and several local crews already were in the area when the flooding began Silva stated and more Guard teams were expected The water receded by nightfall leaving cars stranded in the mud and population works scrambling to clear debris from the roadways Several roads remained closed Wednesday and the mayor revealed it would take time to restore utilities in the largest part damaged neighborhoods The floods came just days after flash floods in Texas killed over people and left more than people missing A locator map showing the location of flash floods in New Mexico AP Digital Embed Residents urged to seek higher ground In New Mexico bureaucrats urged residents to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon as heavy rainfall caused the Rio Ruidoso to rise nearly feet meters in minutes The National Weather Arrangement issued flood warnings in the area which had been stripped of vegetation by wildfires A weather system flood gauge and companion video camera displayed churning water surge over the river s banks into surrounding forest Kaitlyn Carpenter an artist in Ruidoso was riding her motorcycle through town Tuesday afternoon when the storm started to pick up She sought shelter at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company with about other people and started to film debris rushing down the river She spotted a house float by with a familiar turquoise door It belonged to the family of one of her best friends She explained the family was not in the house and was safe I ve been in that house and have memories in that house so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking Carpenter disclosed Village executives continued Wednesday to encourage people to call an crisis line if their loved ones or neighbors were missing or affected by the flood 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 an estimated homes and structures Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer We know that the water levels seemed to be higher than they were last summer Silva stated It is a notable amount of water flowing throughout particular of it in new areas that didn t flood last year Related Articles X CEO Linda Yaccarino resigns after two years at the helm of Elon Musk s social media platform The US is having its worst year for measles in more than three decades Biden s former medical expert refuses to answer questions in House Republican probe Searchers in helicopters and on horseback comb Texas flood debris for missing people Stocks edge higher on Wall Street as deal talks press ahead Matt DeMaria a meteorologist with the National Weather Amenity in Albuquerque commented 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 hastily ran downhill into the river Preliminary measurements show the Rio Ruidoso crested at more than feet meters a record high if validated and receded Tuesday evening Three shelters opened for people who cannot return home Cory State who works at the Downshift Brewing Company welcomed in dozens of residents as the river surged and hail pelted the windows The house floating by was just one of the a large number of devastating things about nowadays he declared The sight brought back painful memories for Carpenter whose art studio was swept away during a flood last year Outside the air smelled of gasoline and loud crashes could be heard as the river knocked down trees in its path She declared it was terrifying Crawford explained people are anxious and afraid as the monsoon is sure to bring more rain throughout the summer The last evening was a good lesson you know that Mother Nature is a much bigger powerful force than we are he noted And that we can do a lot of things to protect ourselves and to try to help direct and whatever but we cannot control Peipert published 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 description