Hundreds of people were rescued in eastern New Mexico late Saturday and Sunday, as torrential rains dumped more than a third of the city of Roswell’s annual rainfall total in just a few hours, causing at least one death, officials said.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway on Sunday morning, as forecasters warned that storms were expected to continue in the area, carrying the threat of more floods, large hail and possibly tornadoes.
As of Sunday morning, nearly 300 people had been rescued by county and state agencies and 38 people had been taken to local hospitals, the New Mexico National Guard said.
Miguel Aguilar, the state National Guard’s adjutant general, said in a statement on Sunday morning that emergency responders had worked all night and rescue efforts were still underway. The National Guard was using tactical vehicles and swift water rescue teams in its effort.
Roswell’s city government said one person had died because of the flooding. It did not provide information on the victim or the circumstances of their death.
Drivers were stranded as city streets were inundated by rain, officials said, and waited on top of their vehicles for help. “Some vehicles were swept by the water into the river channel,” the city said.
The Roswell government said that though water levels had receded in many areas, they were still high downtown and along the Spring River channel, which had overflowed.
Forecasters had warned of a rash of severe thunderstorms in the eastern part of the state Saturday evening, with hail, severe lightning and heavy rainfall. By 5 a.m. on Sunday, Roswell had broken its daily record for rainfall, with 5.78 inches of rain.
Videos showed surging floodwaters turning parks into rivers and stalling cars across the city center. Flash flood warnings remained in effect on Sunday morning for parts of Chaves County, which includes Roswell. Several counties, including De Baca and Roosevelt, had flood watches in effect through Sunday night.
The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque said widespread storms were expected on Sunday in central and eastern New Mexico, carrying the risk of more flooding in the Roswell area. Forecasters said the storms may also produce large hail, damaging wind gusts and one or two tornadoes.
On social media early Sunday, the Chaves County sheriff, Mike Herrington, urged Roswell residents to stay home, and said every available emergency service employee was working to assist stranded residents. Soon after, on Facebook, Sheriff Herrington posted a video from the roof of his car — he had been stranded, he said, in rushing floodwaters.
“At this time I am sitting on the roof of my cop car, my police truck,” he said. “I am completely surrounded by water. “Came into this not expecting that much water, and before I knew it I was swept off into this.”
Authorities closed all roads into and out of Roswell as videos showed cars submerged in flash floods at major intersections and on interstate highways.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called the flooding “historic” in a statement on Sunday and asked people to “stay off area roadways unless absolutely necessary.”
“We all pull together in times of crisis in New Mexico and we will continue to provide assistance as long as it is needed,” the governor said.
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