According to the New Mexico State Police, at least two people have died and hundreds have been saved in Roswell, New Mexico after heavy rain overnight caused serious flooding that left drivers stranded and swept away cars.
At least 290 people have been saved by the New Mexico National Guard and other groups. Of those, 38 were taken to hospitals, the group said in a statement.
No information has been made public about the reported deaths. Officer Amanda Richards of the New Mexico State Police told CNN on Sunday afternoon, “Crews are still out there and rescue efforts are still going on.”
Overnight, the National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for Roswell and nearby places. In Chaves County, emergency management reported many water rescues. On top of that, a flood watch has been issued for a big part of eastern New Mexico until early Monday morning. As the situation is watched for signs of a possible flash flood emergency, more warnings may be sent out.
According to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC), it could rain anywhere from 1.5 to 2 inches per hour in the area. The risk of a major storm has gone down in the Roswell area, but it will still be there in eastern and northeastern New Mexico until Monday morning.
The weather service also said that showers and storms would be common in central and eastern New Mexico until Sunday. There is a chance of big hail, damaging wind gusts, tornadoes, and flash flooding and river flooding, “especially in the Roswell area.”
The National Weather Service says that Roswell got 5.78 inches of rain on Saturday, which is more than the previous record of 5.65 inches set on November 1, 1901. It also beat the daily record set in 1983 and is four times the normal amount of rain that falls in October in the area.
In the Cahoon area, the Spring River rose to dangerous levels, leaving several cars stuck under bridges along the river and letting water into homes in the area. Some places’ water levels have gone down since then, but the city says they are still high in downtown Roswell and all along the Spring River channel in town.
The City of Roswell said in a statement that many drivers were stuck because their cars got stuck in floodwaters on many streets. Some people had to wait for help on top of their wet cars. Some cars were swept into the river path by the water. One person has been reported dead because of the flooding. Search and rescue operations are still going on this morning.
Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington shared videos of himself standing on top of his car around midnight on Sunday. The videos show him surrounded by floodwaters that swept away his car and other cars that were stuck. In the videos, Herrington says that people’s homes and cars were flooded, and they also show people being rescued from the water.
“We feel bad for the people in New Mexico who have been affected by this latest flooding,” said Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, who is in charge of the New Mexico National Guard. “We were ready for this because we had been through flooding in Ruidoso before.” We worked through the night and are still working with swift water rescue teams and other groups to help people get to safety.
The National Guard said that the Guard’s Community Emergency Response Team did at least one swift water rope rescue overnight. This is a skill they learned because of the Ruidoso floods, and they will stay on duty to help the city for as long as it takes.
A family of seven was surrounded by floods on Twin Bluff Road in Roswell, but state police were able to find them and save them, the department said in a post on X.
In a video posted on Facebook, the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office told people not to drive on water because it has damaged local roads badly.
Undersheriff Charles Yslas said, “The asphalt has been eaten away.” He showed broken asphalt on a damaged road and big puddles.
“You have no idea what the road looks like below the water.” “That’s why we want everyone to stay home,” Yslas said in the film. “Don’t risk your life trying to take pictures.”
A tent seen in the video in the middle of a field away from the road shows that the water is “tremendously” strong, as he said.
They said on Facebook that the storm, flooding, and debris caused the Roswell Air Center airport near the city to stop and cancel all flights for Sunday and Monday. “An assessment will be done Monday morning to see if flights can start up again by the afternoon,” the post said.
The city has also had to close the Recreation and Aquatic Center, the Spring River Zoo, the public library, the local museum, the convention center, a golf course, and a graveyard until further notice because of the storm.
People in the city were asked to stay off the streets while rescue efforts continue and some places are still dangerous.
People who live in Roswell and need to leave because of the floods can go to a shelter.
Roswell’s roads are closed off. Richards said that people can leave, but they won’t be able to come back. People who do choose to leave can’t use Highway 285.
Source: At least 2 dead and hundreds rescued in severe New Mexico flash flooding
