Deming residents prepare for floods

Flash floods were so strong a man in his van was washed away as he was driving.

“We had a van that stuck here and got washed away,” Eduardo Castillo, a highway maintenance worker for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, said.

The driver was pulled to safety. Wednesday, crews with the department of transportation cleaned up the mess left behind.

“A lot of it is debris that comes from the mountains we see mud, trees branches, mesquite,” Castillo said.

Castillo says monsoon season keeps them busy. Some areas were hit more than others Tuesday, but Castillo said Wednesday they were prepared for anything.

“Get all these tractors filled up with fuel and get ready for tonight,” Castillo said.

Crews will be on standby waiting to clear any roads if needed. For Ralph and Rosie Dwake, that’s a relief. The couple has lived in Deming for 25 years. Like Castillo, they say Tuesday’s storm caught them by surprise.

“We average about a half an inch if we get a bad rain. This was a bad rain, 4 inches,” Ralph Dwake said.

They say they don’t expect to be hit like Tuesday, but worry for those who live near arroyos.

“When you look back that way, you got to go through four arroyos,” Ralph Dwake said.

That’s exactly what happened Tuesday afternoon when the man was washed away in his van. According to the Luna County Sheriff’s Office, he was driving near an arroyo when the current pulled him away. The couple says they will monitor the weather and hope for the best.

“Keep our fingers crossed,” Ralph Dwake said.