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Officials report two water rescues in Ruidoso amid flash flood warning
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The National Weather Service reported multiple people had to be rescued from floodwaters in Ruidoso on Thursday afternoon.
A flash flood warning was issued as storms converged on the area.
NWS did not have any additional information about the water rescues, which were posted to the agency’s X account.
National Guard and two swift water teams responded on foot to one of the water rescues, according to Bay Hirshfeld, public information officer with the village of Ruidoso. Another rescue was reported near the Ruidoso Downs, but Hirshfeld said it was out of their district and she didn’t have any other information.
She said there is a temporary shelter in place for a resident of the Cherokee Mobile Home Park, and crews are en route to clear debris in the area. The mobile park is still accessible.
The rescues come more than a week after flooding in Ruidoso left three people dead and hundreds of homes damaged.
The agency issued a flash flood warning that includes Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs and Hollywood — a neighborhood in the village. The flash flood warning was expected to last until 3:30 p.m.
An evacuation shelter has been established at the Ruidoso Community Center.
“The set today is we basically have got a good surge of monsoon moisture that’s basically acting as a funnel to push moisture from the south to the north through the state,” said NWS meteorologist Carter Greulich.
“That is allowing for a little bit of faster storm motions, comparatively to what we’ve seen earlier in the week. However, this is a more widespread thunderstorm activity, and that’s what we’ve been seeing across much of the higher terrain.”
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The area is expected to see between 1 and 1½ inches of rainfall. Greulich said any rainfall, especially when the rain gets above 2 inches per hour, can lead to major concerns.
Greulich said that precipitation chances may come down slightly, but the chance of a similar forecast tomorrow is likely. He said the biggest threat was flash flooding over burn scars in the area.
