Ruidoso flash floods add further devastation to areas hit by wildfire
RUIDOSO, New Mexico — Heavy rain and flash flooding hit Ruidoso this weekend. Gavilan Canyon in Northern Ruidoso received the worst of it.
Homes, driveways, and creeks were flooded.
The flooding is the second natural disaster Ruidoso has experienced this year. The McBride fire hit Ruidoso on April 12. Two people were killed, and 200 homes were lost.
The McBride fire burned through surrounding trees and vegetation earlier this year, further complicating a heavy rain season. Most of that rain flooded into nearby homes without brush to absorb and catch heavy rains.
"The debris blocks the culverts and then floods. And the folks, it's the very people who were burned out, who were trying to rebuild. It's just back washing into their homes and here they're fighting floods too," said Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford.
Billy Roach lives off of Gavilan road. He lost his home to the McBride fire. He says the devastation that swept the area left most of his neighbors too distraught to rebuild. Though he chose to rebuild, he says the recent floods only complicate the already long road ahead.
"We're trying to coordinate with the state and the local government to try and figure out how to get the water through here better and so far we just haven't had much luck on getting any of it done," said Roach.
"Though there's a lot of work going on with basically every three letter and four letter agency that you can imagine from state and federal government pitching in, unfortunately, it's taking some time to do but progress is being made," said Crawford.
