The flooding in Roswell, New Mexico, caused by Saturday's storm, has resulted in significant damage to the area. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and local officials visited the area to assess the damage and announced a state emergency disaster declaration for Chaves County.
The flooding caused by torrential downpours led to heavy flooding in downtown Roswell and many parts of Chaves County. The meeting happened hours after Lujan Grisham's office announced that she had signed a state emergency disaster declaration for Chaves County, unlocking $1 million from the state to cover some of the costs associated with the recovery.
The declaration authorizes the New Mexico Department of Finance Administration to provide $750,000 to the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to help cover the cost of emergency response efforts. An additional $250,000 will also be allocated to the New Mexico National Guard, which on Sunday had 57 personnel deployed to Roswell and Chaves County to assist in rescue efforts and cleanup.
Lujan Grisham said that it is still early and the damage is still being assessed, but that as of Monday, it was determined that as many as 500 rescues were carried out over the weekend in response to the storm and flooding. Early estimates, she said, have as many as 400 homes facing significant damage, and 200 businesses damaged by the floodwaters.
On Monday, water in downtown Roswell had receded from its high levels Saturday night, which left at least two people dead. Jennings said that one of the two fatalities was due to drowning, while the other was a man who Jennings said is believed to have had a heart attack.
Roswell Fire Department personnel spent the day checking houses in the flood-affected area to find out the status of residents in those neighborhoods. Uprooted trees, fallen sections of fencing and multiple abandoned and disabled vehicles littered the landscape around the Spring River bed. At least one pickup truck that sustained heavy damage was in the riverbed of the Spring River between North Main Street and Virginia Avenue.
Outside the Roswell Museum and Art Center, which Jennings said had up to five feet of flooding inside, people could be seen Monday morning racking up debris, while the used car lot of the Ford dealership on North Main Street saw much of its fleet sustain heavy damage.
Jennings described the downpours Saturday night as “a 500-year-storm” and estimated that in the end, he believes it will carry a price tag of at least $500 million.
He noted that the city lost four fire trucks due to the flooding, while the Roswell Police Department lost seven patrol units. City facilities will need repairs, including the Roswell Convention Center and Roswell Adult Center, which Jennings said also had up to five feet of water inside them.
Because of the flooding, Jennings said much of the equipment in the city's information technology department is ruined. Water levels as of Monday were still too high to get an accurate picture of the impact of the flooding, but Jennings estimated there were at least seven or eight bridges “that have issues.”
On Monday, county officials also sought to address rumors that Levee Diversion 3, west of the Roswell Air Center, had been breached during the flooding. Alex Palamino, public services director for Chaves County, told the Roswell Daily Record that the levy had overflowed but did not breach.
Several roads also remained closed. According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico 249 from mile markers 1 to 33 is closed, while U.S. 285 at U.S. mile marker 88, located about 13 miles south of Midway, is also closed to traffic due to a bridge that was damaged during the flooding.
Red Bridge Road, off U.S. 380 east of Roswell, which often serves as a defacto trucking route, remains closed.
The Roswell Independent School District announced Monday that Tuesday classes are canceled as they continue to evaluate how much damage was done to their facilities.
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