Heavy rain floods Clovis, submerging homes and streets

CLOVIS, N.M. —

Torrential rain has caused severe flooding in Clovis, New Mexico, submerging streets, homes, and vehicles, with stormwater breaching Dennis Chavez Park and spilling into residential areas.

“When I woke up, I was like, oh my gosh, we have a lakefront,” said Rebecca, a local resident.

Mike said the stormwater flowed into Dennis Chavez Park yesterday and continued into the night, ultimately breaching and flooding nearby residential areas. “Clovis Police Department answered 40 calls for service overnight to help with stranded motorists. Nine or so houses, you know, really directly impacted. But listen, it’s impacted far more than nine residences in our area as you can see,” he said.

The flooding has brought back memories for some residents, including Rebecca, who recalled a similar event in the 1980s. “The memory was kind of crazy. We didn’t have a fence. We didn’t have this little ramp here for my parents. I had built for them when that happened. After that happened, because it was so flooded, they couldn’t even get out of their house,” she said.

Collector cars have also been damaged by the water, and Rebecca expressed concern about the impact on upcoming events. “We’re going to put in the fiestas for the car show tomorrow at our church, and we won’t be able to get it out because it’s flooded back there in the back,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Rebecca and other residents are finding silver linings in the situation. “We don’t get a lot of it. You know, we used to when I was younger, but as I’ve been, you know, been living here, we haven’t gotten a lot of rain, you know, and we needed it,” she said.

The mayor said that drinking water remains unaffected, though there have been some power outages since yesterday, which are not widespread.