Albuquerque, New Mexico (AP) – Three people died from flooding after banks of Rio Ruidoso, New Mexico, swelled during the summer rainy season on Tuesday.
Over the past few years, the village of Ruidoso and other parts of New Mexico have received more warnings as catastrophic wildfires have allowed a once-forested land to occupy huge land, not enough vegetation to absorb and prevent storm runoff.
If the storm lingers on one of the burning scars, it won’t cost much to cause trouble. Ruidoso, a summer retreat in the mountains of southern New Mexico, this time the recipient received what officials called historical rainfall, killing three people and causing dozens of homes to be damaged.
The Associated Press reviewed the National Weather Service emergency alert database. Here is a warning before the deadly flood:
2:15 pm
NWS in Albuquerque sent a wireless emergency alert to cell phones in Ruidoso area, announcing flash flood warnings. It quotes the South Fork Burning Scar, saying flash floods are expected to begin soon and will affect areas downstream of Rio Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs.
WEA alerts target cell phones in geographic areas. They can appear in the form of pop-ups on our phones and/or text messages. Languages vary according to the phone’s function, but each initial alarm conveys the need to avoid flooding areas.
2:47 pm
NWS triggered another wireless alert, escalating the situation to a flash torrent emergency in Ruidoso. At this point, Rio Ruidoso is less than 1.5 feet (0.45 meters). However, the alarm highlights “particularly dangerous situations” and the situation in South Fork Scar and its surrounding areas should “seek a higher position now” and evacuate.
The Lincoln County Emergency Services Office then issued a warning shortly afterwards warning of the Cedar Creek area that had flooded and warned people to “moving to higher ground immediately.”
There are two alarms followed, one from the NW and the other from Ruidoso Emergency Management, which indicates that the mountain torrents were observed by Rio Ruidoso before 3 pm
3:30 pm
Records from the U.S. Geological Survey scale along Rio Ruidoso, north of a commercial district along U.S. Highway 70, water levels increased from 1.5 feet (0.45 meters) to nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters).
According to USGS data, slight flooding may occur at 10 feet (3 meters) of this location.
Meanwhile, Lincoln County emergency officials sent an alarm to their cell phones about upcoming flash floods in the Ruidoso Downs area east of the USGS river instrument.
3:55 pm
Rio Ruidoso rose to 20 feet (6 meters) according to preliminary data recorded by USGS instruments.
