After floods destroyed homes and left three dead, Ruidoso prepares for more rain

RUIDOSO — The village is mourning three deaths from Tuesday’s disastrous flash food, including two young children who were on a family vacation by the river when water engulfed and destroyed their RV. Both parents were injured while trying to save their children and have been hospitalized.

The family identified the children as Sebastian Rowan, 7, and Charlotte Emery Trotter, 4. Two family dogs were also lost to the flood, according to a GoFundMe page established by close members of the family. The parents were identified by their first names, Stephanie and Sebastian, and reported to be recuperating from “serious injuries.”

On Thursday morning, Mayor Lynn Crawford said as many as 400 homes were believed damaged when stormwater flooding across the burn scar from last year’s South Fork wildfire swelled the Rio Ruidoso over 20 feet on July 8. Crawford said up to 150 families were believed to be affected.

“After yesterday, it became very apparent that there was a lot more damage than what we had assumed and what we thought in the beginning,” Crawford said, as he asked residents for continued patience and gave updates on available resources such as water, sandbags and shelter.

Work crews continued efforts Thursday to restore lost power, water and sewer service, and to reopen several roads that remained closed. The village administrative building and public library closed so staff could focus on assisting in cleanup and recovery efforts.

Sixty-five people had been rescued and no one is unaccounted for. The New Mexico National Guard as well as county fire departments and local rescue teams from around the state are assisting local agencies as search and rescues moved beyond the village limits into Lincoln County.

Already, however, local agencies were positioning themselves for more rain to arrive on Saturday, including in the burn scar area where the risk of flooding is highest.

“We’re not concerned mostly with the amount of rain, it’s how much rain we get in a short period of time,” Ruidoso Emergency Manager Eric Queller said. “If we have one bad cell pop over a burn scar and produce one inch an hour, we will have issues.”

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales and U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez joined Crawford and local officials for Thursday’s news conference, before taking an aerial inspection of the flood damage by helicopter.

“It’s really important over the coming days that everyone follow those emergency orders,” Stansbury said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get dollars, humans and rescue folks on the ground to make sure that we protect our community.”

Lujan Grisham expressed condolences over the loss of life, injuries and property damage while praising local governments for their preparations and rapid response, repeatedly holding up Ruidoso and Lincoln County as models.

She also expressed optimism that sorely needed federal assistance would be coming soon, with President Donald Trump issuing a federal disaster declaration on Thursday, that includes an up-front delivery of $3 million or so in immediate aid with $12 million in funding, previously allocated but not delivered, to mitigate the emergency and establish new natural disaster protections. The governor said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had been in direct contact and assured her that federal aid would be coming as soon as possible.

As of Thursday afternoon, approvals for direct federal emergency support for individuals and businesses, reimbursements for the costs of debris removal and repairs to roads, bridges and other facilities, remained pending, according to the Governor’s Office.

Vasquez said immediate recovery in Lincoln County might amount to $50 million, and said the need to fortify communities against intensifying wildfires and flooding extended beyond county lines.