HOUSTON, Oct 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – At least two people have been killed, 38 injured and nearly 300 rescued, after overnight flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall swamped roads and homes in Roswell, a city in the south-eastern U.S. mountain state of New Mexico, authorities said.
The rain brought heavy damage to homes and businesses in the city, with a population of more than 91,700, city officials said, adding, residents reported waters entered homes and buildings.
“Many motorists became stranded when their vehicles got stuck in flood waters on many streets,” the City of Roswell said in a statement on social media.
“Some people had to wait for rescue on top of their vehicles that were covered by water. Some vehicles were swept by the water into the river,” said the statement.
The New Mexico National Guard said, they rescued at least 290 people from the floodwaters, and at least 38 people among them needed to be taken to local hospitals for treatment.
All roads leading into the Roswell area had been closed, due to rushing water, said New Mexico State Police.
Four to nine inches (101.6 mm to 228.6 mm) of rain had fallen in the Rosewell area late Saturday, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to declare a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert.
A flash flood watch remains in effect for eastern New Mexico, as more rain is expected through the day, raising the risk of further flooding as many areas have already been inundated.
The NWS office in Albuquerque said, Roswell set an all-time rainfall record of 5.78 inches (146.8 mm), higher than the previous record of 5.65 inches (143.5 mm) back in Nov, 1901.– NNN-XINHUA
