Rescuers fetch motorist from Rio Grande near Hatch

LAS CRUCES — Monday saw dangerous weather for motorists in Luna and Doña Ana counties. The latest in a series of gigantic dust storms known as haboobs blew across Deming, creating intermittent blinding conditions as gusts up to 70 mph kicked up a roving mass of dirt, with intense monsoon-season thunderstorms moving into Luna County in the evening.

Las Cruces also saw dirt and haze, with visibility so poor along Interstate 10 after sunset that lines of trucks and cars were observed pulling off the highway farther to the west, to wait for reduced winds and clearer views.

Meanwhile, flash flooding from heavy rains near the Rincon Valley north of Las Cruces swept up a pickup truck whose driver attempted to pass through a current on N. Valley Drive. The current passed through an arroyo crossing the road in an area where the lower Rio Grande stretches through farmland.

The driver called for help at about 6 p.m., saying he had been carried along with his truck into the river about half a mile, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department, and that he was stranded on the roof.

“Thanks to the swift coordination between multiple agencies, we were able to bring everyone in safely,” Doña Ana Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Yvonne Feijoo said in a written statement. “We urge drivers to never attempt to cross flooded roadways. What looks like a few inches of water can be much deeper and faster-moving than it appears.”

Emergency responders from Las Cruces and Hatch, Doña Ana and Sierra counties, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Border Patrol all rushed to the scene in an operation reportedly complicated by flooding on the roadway.

Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue dispatched off-road vehicles and a rescue boat as the Las Cruces Fire Department Swiftwater Rescue Team and Doña Ana Fire Rescue personnel approached the driver from downstream in an operation taking over two hours.

Two responders, as well as the driver’s son, also required rescue after being caught in debris. According to the LCFD, the son had been traveling in another vehicle and attempted to rescue his father. The rescued individuals were not identified.

Following the rescue operation, the Las Cruces Fire Department issued an advisory reminding motorists “to refrain from crossing water on roadways” and remember the public safety motto: Turn around, don’t drown.

No injuries were reported, but the truck fared less well, remaining submerged in the river as of Tuesday.