Mora County faces flash flooding as residents prepare for more rain
Torrential rain triggered flash flooding in Mora County, New Mexico, as residents and officials brace for additional rainfall.
MORA COUNTY, N.M. —
Torrential rain caused flash flooding in Mora County, New Mexico, on Tuesday, leaving roads covered in muddy water and homes damaged. Residents and officials prepare on Wednesday for more rainfall.
Residents have been advised to stay home and shelter in place due to hazardous conditions. Mora County officials acknowledged the impact of the sudden downpour.
“We weren’t prepared for large amounts of rain that fell in a short period of time that affected not only just homes and residents, but also impacted county roads and state roads,” Sheriff Americk Padilla said.
The flash flooding has repeatedly occurred in and around the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon burn scar since the 2022 wildfire. Emergency response teams, including the National Guard, county managers, and surrounding agencies, are working together to prepare for additional rainfall.
“We’ve been staffing with the champions of the National Guard, with our county managers, with our emergency managers, surrounding agencies around us. And we’re just preparing for what is predicted to come,” Sheriff Padilla said.
He said long-term solutions are being discussed to address infrastructure challenges.
“I know there’s been talks in the work already about seeing how we could better engineer our roads, better equip our county roads with culverts and everything of that sort,” Sheriff Padilla said.
While sandbags provided by the county are being used to create barriers against moving water, Padilla highlighted the importance of community support during such events.
“The amazing part about working in a small rural community is that we know a large majority of people,” he said. “When an event of this magnitude does occur, everybody comes together, everybody puts their differences aside.”
A Mora County resident, whose home has been repeatedly hit by floods since 2022, told KOAT he’s now considering moving after four years of flash flooding.
As the rain continues to fall, the community remains united in its efforts to recover and prepare for what lies ahead.
