Summary

  • A father and two children have been swept away by flash floods in the US state of New Mexico, the National Weather Service says

  • A swift water rescue team is searching for the family, and other rescues are under way in the village of Ruidoso

  • No injuries or deaths were immediately reported, but the mayor said three people were unaccounted for

  • Video shows a house washed away in brown floodwaters, splintering as it hits trees, and the NWS says multiple homes have been "moved by water"

  • The emergency comes just days after deadly floods hit the neighbouring state of Texas

  • In Texas, more than 109 people are confirmed dead and at least 161 are still missing following flash floods last Friday

Media caption,

Watch: Moment house is swept away in New Mexico flash flooding

  1. We're ending our live coveragepublished at 03:28 British Summer Time 9 July

    Three people are unaccounted for in Ruidoso, New Mexico, as floodwaters recede, with the full extent of the damage still being assessed in the mountain village.

    The mayor did not say whether the three missing were the father and two children who were earlier reported washed away by the National Weather Service.

    Emergency crews carried out at least 50 swift water rescues in the area, including people trapped in houses and cars, said Mayor Crawford. "Some homes" were "lost", he added, without giving a number.

    The village leader told a local radio station that an unknown number of people were taken to hospital. It is unclear if anyone was seriously injured.

    Between 1.5 and 3.5in (3.8 and 8.8cm) of rain fell on, and downstream, of the South Fork Burn Scar in south central Lincoln County, an area that is particularly susceptible to flash flooding.

    The Rio Ruidoso rose more than 20ft (6m) in an hour, which would be a record if confirmed.

    The mayor said it "got ugly really quick".

    News of the flash flooding in New Mexico came just hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave an update on the aftermath of last Friday's flash flood in that state.

    He said the death toll stands at 109 people, with 161 others missing.

    We're ending our live coverage for now, but will cover the latest on this story as it develops.

  2. Seeing friend's house come down river was 'pretty heartbreaking'published at 03:28 British Summer Time 9 July

    Kaitlyn Carpenter, an artist in Ruidoso, told AP news agency she was riding her motorcycle when the storm struck and she took shelter with dozens of other people at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company.

    She filmed a house floating down the Rio Ruidoso. By its turquoise door, she recognised it as the property of a close friend's family.

    The family was not in the house at the time and were safe, she added.

    "I've been in that house and have memories in that house, so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking," Carpenter told AP.

    "I just couldn’t believe it."

  3. What we know about the New Mexico flood so farpublished at 03:08 British Summer Time 9 July

    • The National Weather Service (NSW) declared a flash flood emergency in Ruidoso, New Mexico, after the village's river crested at 20.24ft (6m), which would be a record high
    • There have been over 30 swift water rescues, with three people - a father and two children - unaccounted for
    • There are reports of gas leaks and power outages across Ruidoso, along with road closures
    • Social media footage showed a house being swept away by floodwaters, with reports of further homes being lost
    • The mayor of Ruidoso said they did not evacuate the village, but people whose homes were inundated can head to the community centre for shelter
    • The village of Ruidoso is asking President Trump for federal funding to help with the response
  4. Unknown number unaccounted for after New Mexico flash floodspublished at 02:52 British Summer Time 9 July

    The downpour in Ruidoso began around 15:00MT (21:00 GMT) in their Upper Canyons area resulting in flash foods, Kerry Gladden, the media contact for the Village of Ruidoso, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

    Two hours later, the waters receded.

    About a dozen roads had to be closed because of debris and an unknown number of boat rescues were conducted, she said.

    There are unaccounted for people and people who were injured, but no tally of either yet, Gladden said.

    But she did say the waters came quickly: the Hollywood Gauge on the Rio Ruidoso hit a record level.

  5. 'We are still looking for some folks' - Mayor Crawfordpublished at 02:40 British Summer Time 9 July

    There are people missing from the village, Mayor Crawford told a local radio station

    Some are in hospital and there have been over 30 swift water rescues, he said.

    But "we are still looking for some folks".

    "We're just praying that the water recedes", he added.

  6. Mayor: 'It got ugly really quick'published at 02:24 British Summer Time 9 July

    Ruidoso's mayor and village manager are now live on local radio.

    "If you're at home, stay at home," Mayor Lynn Crawford urged residents on a local radio station.

    "It got ugly really quick," he added.

    He said they had reached out to President Donald Trump for federal funding to help with the response.

  7. 'All of midtown smells like gas' - multiple gas leaks reportedpublished at 02:21 British Summer Time 9 July

    Gas leaks have been reported by the official village of Ruidoso Facebook account.

    Gas has been shut off in the Eagle Drive area - roughly in the centre of the village - it said, adding the repair time and the total affected are unknown.

    "All of midtown smells like gas," wrote one Facebook user on the post.

    "Thank God it was so bad that smell was making me sick," another said.

  8. Residents fear for horses at racetrack stablespublished at 02:17 British Summer Time 9 July

    The National Weather Service says the west end of the racetrack at Ruidoso Downs has been "compromised", with the community expressing rising concern for horses there.

    Unverified footage on the Ruidoso Community Support Facebook page show flooded stables, with residents claiming that horses were trapped inside.

    Other posts in the group called for assistance with evacuating horses, and asked for updates on the track.

    Races were expected to be held at Ruidoso Downs this coming weekend.

    The track was recently renovated after flood damage in July 2024 forced races to be rescheduled to Albuquerque.

  9. How much rain has fallen?published at 01:48 British Summer Time 9 July

    Between 1.5 and 3.5in (3.8 and 8.8cm) of rain has fallen on, and downstream, of the South Fork Burn Scar in South Central Lincoln County, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

    This is the catchment area that has caused flash flooding around Ruidoso in New Mexio.

    An additional up to 0.1in (0.25cm) of rainfall is possible in the area, the NWS reports.

    All nearby reservoirs, bridges and roadways will be affected by the flash floods, the NWS said, calling the situation "life-threatening".

    "If you encounter flood waters, climb to safety" it urged.

  10. River rises more than 15ft in less than an hourpublished at 01:22 British Summer Time 9 July

    Provisional reports from the National Weather Service show the Rio Ruidoso river went from less than 3ft to a crest of 20.24ft (6.1m) in under an hour.

    If confirmed, it would be a record high for the river.

    In 2024, the highest reported crest was 15.86ft, recorded 20 July.

  11. Watch: House swept away by torrent of floodwaterpublished at 01:11 British Summer Time 9 July

    Video shared on social media by Kaitlyn Carpenter shows a house being carried along by a torrent of dark brown floodwater in New Mexico.

    It knocks down a trees and parts of the home splinter and break away as it is violently swept downstream.

    The building is seen submerged up to its roof as horrified onlookers watch it pass by.

    Media caption,

    Watch: Moment house is swept away in New Mexico flash flooding

  12. Photos show river sharply rising in just one hourpublished at 00:53 British Summer Time 9 July

    Photos shared by the National Weather Service show just how much the waters of the Rio Ruidoso river rose in just an hour.

    Rio Ruidoso, surrounded by treesImage source, United States Geological Survey
    Image caption,

    The river at 15:00 local time

    River Ruidoso, significantly higher, surrounded by treesImage source, United States Geological Survey
    Image caption,

    The river at 15:30 local time

    River Ruidoso, completely flooded, with water rushing over trees and the riverbankImage source, United States Geological Survey
    Image caption,

    The river at 16:00 local time

  13. Village urges residents to move to higher groundpublished at 00:49 British Summer Time 9 July

    Ruidoso is a mountain village in southern New Mexico, approximately three hours south of Albuquerque.

    The Office of Emergency Management in Ruidoso has called for people near the river to move to higher ground immediately, and warned against driving through floodwaters.

    The village is also warning that burn scars from wildfires could cause severe flash flooding of streams, creeks, and ditches.

    A map showing New Mexico and Ruidoso
  14. Father and two children washed away, NWS sayspublished at 00:41 British Summer Time 9 July

    The National Weather Service is sharing details on the rapidly evolving situation in New Mexico.

    In the past few minutes, the NWS says a "father and two children washed away. SW crews in pursuit."

    Another update reads, "1 adult 2 children trapped and needing rescue".

    And another updates says "Elderly female trapped in home in need of rescue from flood waters".

  15. Floodwaters reportedly uproot homes in New Mexicopublished at 00:31 British Summer Time 9 July

    We're seeing unverified videos on social media which show a house being washed away by floodwaters, apparently in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

    The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in the village two hours ago and said water levels have reached 15 feet (4.5m).

    The NWS said on its website that there were homes starting to be moved by water.

  16. Emergency declared in New Mexico village as river waters rise 15 feetpublished at 00:17 British Summer Time 9 July
    Breaking

    Flash flooding in New MexicoImage source, USGS

    The National Weather Service has declared a flash flood emergency and is advising residents of Ruidoso in New Mexico to be on high alert as the village experiences intense flooding.

    A flood wave on the Rio Ruidoso has reached 15 feet (4.5m), the NWS in Albuquerque said in a post on X.

    "Stay away from the river! Seek higher ground NOW!" they wrote.

    Multiple rescues are under way at Gavilan Trailer Park and houses are reportedly being washed away.

  17. Man stood on electrical box for three hours to survive floodpublished at 23:50 British Summer Time 8 July

    Media caption,

    Watch: Texas resident survived floods by standing on electrical box for three hours

    One Texas man tells the BBC he stood on an electrical box for three hours as flood waters rose in his home.

    Christian Fell, a resident of Hunt, Texas, says he was inside his house when the waters came rushing in and when he tried to open his kitchen door to escape, "it was just like a huge wall of water that just came at me".

    When he couldn't get the door closed, he went back in his home, where all his furniture was floating. He threw a bunch of his stuff on an air mattress and called 911. The operator told him to get to the roof, but he says he couldn't.

    "I realised I have to do something to save myself," he says. "I saw that the window in the room was broken, and so I swam through the window, and luckily there was that meter box outside. I climbed up it, and that's where I stood for the next three hours."

    Fell says he didn't get a weather alert until the water was already in his home. He knew he was safe when he saw water levels had gone down and police were walking through the street.

    "It was such a relief," he says.

  18. How a wall of water surged downstreampublished at 23:32 British Summer Time 8 July

    Earlier, we heard Texas Governor Greg Abbott say that authorities knew of potential flooding, but they were not expecting a "30ft high tsunami wall of water".

    Experts say there was a number of factors that contributed to the tragedy in Texas, including the extreme weather, the location of the holiday homes and timing.

    There was a large supply of moisture in the atmosphere from a tropical storm that had caused flooding in Mexico and then tracked north as it died out.

    Kerr County, where more than 80 people died, is a hillier part of Texas than surrounding counties. This meant that the moisture-laden air was forced upwards, building huge storm clouds.

    This system was slow-moving, adding to the rain totals, and creating further thunderstorms along the area around the Guadalupe River, which surged with unprecedented speed.

    A chart showing how quickly the river level rose during the floods
  19. Kerville city council to hold emergency meetingpublished at 22:55 British Summer Time 8 July

    The City of Kerrville council will gather at 19:00 EDT (00:00 BST) for an emergency meeting.

    The area around Kerrville has the highest death toll from the floods.

    The meeting will discuss renewing the mayor's disaster declaration, and other measures that are being taken in response to the emergency.

  20. What we learned from the Texas governor's updatepublished at 22:34 British Summer Time 8 July

    Media caption,

    Watch: At least 161 missing in Kerr County flood, says Texas governor

    Governor Abbott just gave a roughly 45-minute press conference. Here's a recap of what he said:

    • The death toll from the floods now stands at 109 people. That's 94 fatalities in the Kerrville area, and another 15 people killed in other parts of Texas.
    • 161 people are still missing, he said. This number could grow as more people call in reports of family and friends who are unaccounted for. It also includes five campers and one counsellor from Camp Mystic.
    • Responders from various agencies are working together on rescue efforts. Agents from Border Patrol, the FBI and the National Guard, among others, are involved.
    • Drones and helicopters are being deployed in the search for missing people.
    • The state knew of a possible serious flood days in advance, but they did not know the magnitude.