Flash floods forced many people to evacuate as water overflowed dams and flooded rivers in Dona Ana County.
DOÑA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico —
Unprecedented flooding along the Rio Grande forced the evacuation of the villages of Hatch, Rincon and Garfield in southern New Mexico, as heavy rains caused dams to overflow and streams to overflow.
Alessandra Analis, a Garfield farmer, said her family’s crops were submerged Wednesday.
“We’ve been waiting for water all year, and I don’t think anyone expected it to come all at once, especially in one day,” Analis said.
Some of the crops are located near McLeod Dam, which officials say is in imminent danger of bursting. Analis captured cellphone videos of the water flowing shortly before he was ordered to evacuate.
“No one could have imagined what was happening there or prepared for it, we weren’t prepared for it,” she said.
One farmer described seeing unprecedented water levels in a canal near McLeod Dam, where New Mexico Department of Transportation workers were clearing debris from the road.
As rain continued to fall, the entire village of Hatch was ordered to evacuate. Police were seen going door to door asking residents to leave.
The flooding brought back memories of the devastating Hatch flood of 2006, which occurred 20 years ago in August.
Evacuated residents, including Analis, hope the remaining dams and levees in the area, including McLeod Dam, will hold up.
“I mean, honestly, it was a scary scene earlier when it was overflowing. So I can’t imagine if the rain intensified and it rained all night and it really eroded at one end and opened up, that would be pretty scary,” Analis said.
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