Just a reminder that, while it is hard to overestimate the massive damage done by Hurricane Helene, climate disasters aren’t always that dramatic. Like what just happened in New Mexico with a severe, record-breaking rainstorm.
Officials continue to survey the damage in Chaves County after deadly flash floods ripped through Roswell this weekend, washing away cars, submerging buildings and leaving much of the city under a layer of silt. Via KRQE:
ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) – Flooded with nearly six inches of rain in just five hours, Roswell is now picking up the pieces after a massive weekend storm. While high water is gone, city leaders say there’s still a danger. More than a day after the storm rolled through, cars can still be seen in downtown Roswell that were swept away in the flash flood.
People KRQE News 13 spoke to said they hadn’t seen a storm like this before. There was shock and disbelief in Roswell as people looked over the damage caused by a major flash flood Saturday night into Sunday morning. While many are trying to clean up or salvage what’s left, Adan Leyva is among those who said it’s hard to believe what happened. “This is sad, we have a bunch of businesses. Our entrance to our historic art and everything, it just got ruined. So it is pretty pretty sad, it is pretty sad seeing this,” said Leyva.
The storm brought as much as seven inches of rain to some areas around Roswell which made it the wettest day in the city’s recorded history. The New Mexico National Guard said flood waters carried cars away which led to two deaths and more than 500 rescues. On Monday, the New Mexico National Guard said it is using the break in the weather to determine what is damaged. “The water has receded a lot, actually in the last two days it’s receded quite a bit. There is towards the east of town where we’re going to start to assess is the possibility of the Pecos River kind of going over a bit so we’re assessing that damage,” said LTC. Paul Laritzen, New Mexico National Guard.
