A woman was found dead in floodwaters in Socorro County on Monday afternoon while crews rescued others who were stranded in a small community near Bernardo.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for parts of northwestern New Mexico, making available federal disaster assistance following severe flooding there.
Floodwaters from the Rio Puerco surrounded and stranded residents late Sunday night in the unincorporated area of San Francisco, according to the Valencia County Fire Department. Water rescue teams from the department, the New Mexico National Guard, Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue and Oklahoma Urban Search and Rescue moved to homes in two boats to safely access and evacuate nine residents by 4 p.m. Monday.
The scene where the woman was found dead was transferred to New Mexico State Police and the Office of the Medial Investigator, the Valencia County Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post.
The Valencia County Fire Department had previously stated a person was missing after they were reportedly swept away in floodwaters Sunday night, and New Mexico State Police aircraft and drone teams did not find anyone in an immediate search. It was not yet clear Monday whether this was the same person crews found dead.
Photo courtesy San Juan County Office of Emergency Management via Facebook
The Rio Puerco is not expected to crest until Wednesday, so the San Francisco area will remain under an evacuation notice, the Valencia County Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post. A shelter was set up at Finley Complex in Socorro.
U.S. 60 was closed just east of Interstate 25 due to flooding. Additional road closure information can be found online at nmroads.com.
Further south, Anthony Brown — a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s El Paso office — said Southern New Mexico was relatively unscathed after storms formed in El Paso on Friday and moved into the Rio Grande Valley.
The White Sands Missile Range experienced high winds as hail battered El Paso, closing the Ascarate Golf Course and service roads near Interstate 10, but he said there was no damage from the storms on the New Mexico side.
The Enchanted Springs neighborhood in northwestern El Paso was particularly affected, with around 16 evacuations. There were no reports of injuries or casualties, Brown said.
San Juan County update
In hard-hit San Juan County, rivers continued to recede and there had been no additional rescues in at least 24 hours as of Monday afternoon.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham visited the area Monday on the heels of her request for a federal emergency declaration for San Juan, Rio Arriba, Cibola and Sandoval counties and Acoma Pueblo, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Zia Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo.
President Donald Trump approved the request Monday, making federal disaster assistance available to the state to supplement local emergency response efforts.
“The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe,” a FEMA news release stated.
At a news conference earlier Monday, Lujan Grisham noted the specific contents of the signed federal disaster declaration were unclear. She also criticized the assistance’s 75% federal and 25% non-federal cost-sharing formula.
“The federal money is based on reimbursements. It is really slow,” Lujan Grisham said. “It is too slow, and it requires a 25% match by the local community. I don’t like that match. I don’t like how slow it is — not for you, not for anyone in the state of New Mexico.”
Once she knows what is in the disaster declaration, she said, she will ask the federal government to set aside the 25% match.
Evacuated neighborhoods in San Juan County remain strictly closed to the public — including residents — due to active structural and environmental hazards. Residents are instructed not to return to their properties until safety inspections are complete and orders are lifted.
Shelters in Shiprock remain active.
“From a law enforcement perspective, this is beginning to evolve where there’s less life and death, less rescues, more security, making sure your home is safe if you had to leave it,” Farmington Police Department Chief Steve Hebbe said a Monday news conference.
In a news release Monday, the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office said all early voting locations had resumed regular operations after some temporarily closed due to severe weather. There have been no reported weather-related disruptions to mail-in ballots.
San Juan County is planning a free curbside debris removal program for later in the week.
The county’s Emergency Management Office urged residents to take photos and videos to document damage to their properties before they clean up. Then, waste needs to be sorted into four categories: yard waste and construction, household hazardous waste, electronic waste and appliances.
The Farmington Recreation Center will offer free showers to those in need from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this devastating situation,” the recreation center wrote in a Facebook post. “We stand with our community during this difficult time and hope this small gesture can provide some relief to those who need it.”
Staff writer Julia Gentin contributed to this report. Lily Alexander is a state accountability reporter for The New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico, focusing on equity and transparency. Her position is part of the New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund, and her stories are available to all readers without a paywall.
