N.M. Town Evacuates Amid Flooding

Residents fled their homes Tuesday after another day of heavy rain breached an arroyo north of Hatch, N.M., and flooded parts of the town with waist-deep water.

Residents in the low-lying areas of Hatch and nearby Rincon, in southern New Mexico, were told by authorities to evacuate, and those living on higher ground were urged to do the same. State police closed highways and feeder roads into Hatch, though nearby Interstate 25 remained open. A command center was moved to nearby Las Cruces, and schools were ordered closed through Thursday.

No injuries were reported, but police and rescue workers helped people navigate the high water as they waded from their homes Tuesday evening.

Andy Apodaca, 47, was desperately searching for his daughter who works at a store downtown. “I have never, ever seen anything like this,” Apodaca told the Las Cruces Sun-News.

The Dona Ana County flood commission reported Tuesday that the Rio Grande, which runs east of Hatch Valley, was expected to rise at least a foot overnight because of storm runoff.

A series of storms have rolled through New Mexico in recent weeks, damaging roads, homes, canals and other infrastructure. Gov. Bill Richardson has issued four executive orders in the last seven weeks to cover damage.