3 missing, house swept away as flash flooding hits mountain village in New Mexico

SANTA FE N M AP At least three people were missing in a mountain village in southern New Mexico that is a popular summer retreat after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding Tuesday that was so intense an entire house was swept downstream Crisis crews carried out at least swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars mentioned Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Protection and Exigency Management No deaths were right away stated but three people had been taken to the hospital and were in stable condition according to Kerry Gladden general information officer for Ruidoso The water had receded by Tuesday night and search and rescue and swift water rescue teams were scouring the town for the missing people while citizens works crews cleared debris from the roadways Specific cars were left stranded in the mud Two National Guard rescue teams and several local teams already were in the area when the flooding began Silva noted and more Guard teams were expected The floods came just days after flash floods in Texas killed over people and left more than people missing In New Mexico administrators urged residents to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon as the waters of the Rio Ruidoso rose nearly feet meters in a matter of minutes amid heavy rainfall The National Weather Operation issued flood warnings in the area which was stripped of vegetation by up-to-date wildfires A weather function flood gauge and companion video camera established churning waters of the Rio Ruidoso surge over the river s banks into surrounding forest Streets and bridges were closed in response Kaitlyn Carpenter an artist in Ruidoso was riding her motorcycle through town Tuesday afternoon when the storm started to pick up and she sought shelter at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company with about other people She started to film debris rushing down the Rio Ruidoso when she spotted a house float by with a familiar turquoise door It belonged to the family of one of her best friends Her friend s family was not in the house and is safe she revealed I ve been in that house and have memories in that house so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking Carpenter revealed I just couldn t believe it During a radio address Tuesday night Ruidoso Mayor Lynn D Crawford encouraged residents to call an urgency line if their loved ones or neighbors were missing He also revealed there were reports of dead horses near the town s horse racing track We knew that we were going to have floods and this one hit us harder than what we were expecting Ruidoso Mayor Lynn D Crawford mentioned 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 explained It is a substantial amount of water flowing throughout particular of it in new areas that didn t flood last year Matt DeMaria a meteorologist with the National Weather Amenity in Albuquerque explained storms formed in the early afternoon over terrain that was scorched last year by wildfire The burn scar was unable to absorb a lot of the rain as water briskly ran downhill into the river Preliminary measurements show the Rio Ruidoso crested at more than feet meters a record high if validated and was receding Tuesday evening Three shelters opened in the Ruidoso area for people who could not 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 plenty of devastating things about in the current era he stated 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 It s pretty terrifying she declared