New Socorro mayor says fixing flooding is priority; no long-term plan yet

It’s been less than a month since Socorro mayor Elia Garcia was sworn into office, and she said keeping residents safe during flooding is her biggest priority.

The City of Socorro sent a building official to inspect some of the homes that were hit hardest by the flooding, to see if they are still safe to live in. If they are not up to code, the home owners need to fix them.

“In the meantime, we are looking for other alternatives to help the residents relocate,” Garcia said. “I do not have a solution for you just yet. We are working on it though.

Guadalupe Avalos has called Coker Road home for over 30 years. Her house was deemed unsafe by the city.

“We’re probably going to start over,” Avalos said. “It’s just not that easy to pick up and relocate after so many years.”

Avalos and her family were evacuated from their home in July because the flooding destroyed part of their house. They lived with relatives in Fabens, and barely moved back to their home this past week.

“We had to be evacuated, water reached the inside and we’ve lost furniture, clothes,” Avalos said. “Financial strain, emotional strain. we had to move back and forth. we lost animals — so all sorts of strain.”

Pete Murillo has lived on Coker Road for close to 40 years. He said he used a tractor this summer to build up dirt piles near his home to reduce the flooding.

“I cannot sit waiting around for someone to help me out,” Murillo said. “I’m just trying to do the best for myself and my family.”

The City of Socorro said it has a shelter ready to go for families to go to in case the flooding gets bad.