'Mini tornado' tosses roofs in Truth or Consequences

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES — City leaders approved a disaster declaration days after a “mini tornado” caused minor property damage and took down several utility poles across several blocks within town on July 2.

Although the city of Truth or Consequences is not seeking aid from the state, the declaration authorizes emergency spending undertaken by City Manager Gary Whitehead to mitigate damage from the brief storm.

Overshadowed by reports of catastrophic flash flooding in Ruidoso as well as Kerrville, Texas, the city commission also discussed its own preparations for natural disasters during its Wednesday meeting. The city of 6,000 sits west of the Elephant Butte Reservoir, with the Rio Grande skirting the city to the south, blocks from downtown.

“We live in a riverfront community,” Mayor Rolf Hechler said. “A lot of our residents live close to that river and it’s a flood zone.”

He urged police and city staff to coordinate with Sierra County to develop or update plans for early warnings, emergency response and evacuation plans in the event of increasingly intense storms and flooding, noting that downtown TorC would be exposed to “major risk” in the event of a large flood.

The July 2 mayhem took place during a thunderstorm that brought moderate rainfall. An apparent downdraft downed six utility poles, some of which snapped, and caused damage in a straight line from N. Date Street across a commercial strip, blocks of residences and the city golf course.

The wind ripped a shade structure the size of a carport from an office building on N. Date Street and flung it across four lanes of city traffic into a neighboring parking lot. Farther northeast, the metal roof of a vacant commercial building was sheared off and sent flying, narrowly missing the Jehovah’s Witnesses hall and landing on a Pershing Street home. A restroom facility on the golf course was destroyed as well.

Although some telecommunications lines were temporarily broken, no power lines were lost and only one residence lost electric service temporarily. Whitehead counted the city fortunate that there were no injuries, despite roofs flying through the air within populated areas.

“Materials can be replaced, but life can’t,” he said.

City Commissioner Ingo Hoeppner asked for a follow-up report with final details on the expenses as well as wind speeds to account for expenditure of public money so that the city could recover what it can for cleanup at private properties.

“When we spend public money to benefit the private sector in a disaster, it has to follow this process,” Whitehead said, outlining the procedure required under New Mexico’s All-Hazard Emergency Management Act.

The declaration states that the disaster ran from 5:30 p.m. July 2 to the following day, authorizing emergency procurements on behalf of public safety and protecting lives, such as the immediate hire of a contractor to remove the roof that had blown on top of a residence close to overhead power and telecom lines.

The declaration describes the event as a “mini tornado,” which may have been a microburst. According to the National Weather Service, microburst winds can reach tornado-force speeds exceeding 100 mph, capable of causing as much damage as tornadoes.

The winds are caused by narrow downdrafts within a thunderstorm, dropping air and/or precipitation to the ground. The agency says distinguishing tornado vs. microburst damage is based on the pattern of destruction, with microburst damage fanning out in one direction while tornado damage leaves more of a chaotic pattern.