Three Lives Lost in Historic Ruidoso Flood
Mayor encourages people to NOT visit mountain village until it's safe as crews assess the damage
A man and two children were killed in Ruidoso, New Mexico yesterday, July 8, when historic flash flooding swept through the mountain village.
According to a statement from Ruidoso’s Department of Emergency Management:
“All three individuals were caught in the rushing floodwaters and carried downstream during the catastrophic flooding event that saw the Rio Ruidoso rise to a record-breaking 20 feet – five feet higher than the previous record.”
The previous record of fifteen feet was set last year after the deadly Salt and South Fork fires.
The flooding victims were a four-year-old girl, seven-year-old boy and an adult male in his 40s or 50s. All three were reported missing from an RV park near Sudderth Drive on the Rio Ruidoso, according to Ruidoso’s Police Chief Steven Minner.
While Ruidoso has dealt with floods previously, yesterday’s flood was “the biggest I’ve seen,” says local resident Logan Fleharty.
“We were watching houses floating down the river, propane tanks. There was so much destruction,” says Fleharty.
At a press conference this morning, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said, “What we were told is that we received 3.5 inches of rain on the South Fork burn scar in about a 90-minute period. That water came directly into our community and impacted the community head-on.”
Emergency responders conducted approximately 65 swift water rescues during yesterday’s floods.
According to Mayor Crawford, initial damage assessments are underway and “it’s going to take several days,” he said.
Initial reports state that some 35 to 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in the flooding.
“It’s horrible looking at all of these houses that had already done such a great job cleaning up and now we’re back to even worse than last year for the extent of the floods,” says Flaherty.
Portions of the village are still dealing with gas leaks, electrical and water outages today.
“We are not encouraging people to come to Ruidoso right now. It’s just not safe. We have a lot of damage that’s been done,” said Crawford at the press conference.
In a statement released last night, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham responded to the Ruidoso flooding, “I signed an emergency declaration request to get federal response teams and repair resources on the ground immediately. We’re encouraged that additional federal resources are already on the way.”
Governor Grisham flew in today to visit the affected area, according to emergency management personnel.
Flaherty, a tattoo artist who was born in Ruidoso, has been on the ground and posting damage updates in real time on his social media and offering assistance to anyone in need.
“If I see a need I got to fill it, and I’m out here right now with a cold cooler full of drinks. We’re looking for people that are sweaty and working hard and trying to get them the information of the community foundations that are offering assistance. We’re boots on the ground, in a sense, and we’re not stopping.”
The Village of Ruidoso Facebook page has been posting regular updates with links to where people may donate supplies. People may also donate to the The Shelter Fund through the Community Foundation of Lincoln County.
More monsoon rain is in the forecast for Ruidoso and the Sacramento Mountains this week. The village is under a flood watch today and into this evening.
According to Crawford, Ruidoso is one year into a three to five-year recovery period following the fires and subsequent flooding.
The Reader will continue to report developments on this story.