Deluge in New Mexico triggers flood, killing 2 and stranding hundreds

Rescue efforts are ongoing around Roswell, New Mexico, and roads leading into the city remain closed, after flash flooding from historic rainfall Saturday night and Sunday stranded motorists and killed two people, authorities said.

Rainfall totals on Saturday set a new all-time daily record in Roswell – 5.78 inches – and around nine inches of rain in total fell in the city and surrounding regions of Chaves County in southeast New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. The deluge flooded homes and swept cars off roads in a region that has already grappled with the devastating impacts of wildfires and flash flooding this year.

Two people were killed in the flooding, New Mexico State Police spokesperson Amanda Richards told the Washington Post. Authorities have rescued 290 people, and 38 were taken to local hospitals, the New Mexico National Guard said in a news release Sunday morning.

“Because of the previous flooding in Ruidoso, we have the experience and were ready for this,” said Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, the state’s adjutant general, referencing floods that damaged hundreds of homes this summer some 75 miles west of Roswell. “We’ve worked all night, and continue to work with swift water rescue teams and other partner agencies to help our fellow citizens get to safety.”

In Roswell, a city mostly known for its association with UFOs, rainfall overwhelmed the Spring River channel that passes through the city and flooded downtown, the City of Roswell said on social media. Parts of the city remained flooded and search and rescue and cleanup efforts were still underway as of Sunday afternoon. Various city facilities are closed until further notice, and a shelter has been set up at the Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds for displaced residents, the city said.

Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington urged residents to stay at home in a video posted to social media early Sunday morning from the roof of his police truck.

“I am completely surrounded by water,” Herrington said in the video, which showed the vehicle in a downpour covered by floodwater up to its fenders.

Several other vehicles were swept off the road, forcing trapped motorists to also await rescue on the roofs of their vehicles, Herrington and City of Roswell spokesperson Todd Wildermuth said. A New Mexico State Police helicopter rescued a family of seven that was stranded on a roadside and surrounded by floodwaters, the department said.

All roads leading into Roswell are closed, and vehicles can leave but not reenter the city, Richards said. A bridge on New Mexico State Road 409 was “beginning to collapse” due to floodwaters and shut down, Richards said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham thanked responders and is monitoring the situation, she said on social media. The City of Roswell said an official emergency declaration was expected for the city and Chaves County after Roswell Mayor Timothy Jennings spoke to the governor Sunday.