The loss of three lives to flash flooding in the mountain village of Ruidoso is “unfathomable and unfair,” New Mexico’s governor said Thursday, as

Sandbags protect a building in Ruidoso, New Mexico after floods swept through town in July of 2024. This week's floods rose significantly higher. Photo: The Washington Post

As residents and businesspeople in Ruidoso assess the damage caused by heavy and dangerous flooding, others can find ways to help. Here is what to know.

"The main reason was the South Fork Fire last year that burned directly west of Ruidoso," Grzywacz said. "The soil wasn't able to absorb any of the rainfall, and it runs right down into Ruidoso. Normally, if you had that vegetation still there, it could absorb it. For the Ruidoso monsoon season, it was above average rain but not record rainfall."

At least three people have died as a result of severe flash flooding that swept through a south-central New Mexico resort town on Tuesday afternoon. The devastating floods left people trapped in homes and prompted dozens of water rescues in Ruidoso,

A man, a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy were swept away Tuesday by floodwaters, the village of Ruidoso said in a statement.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Ruidoso on Thursday, July 10, 2025, where she reported federal funding will be coming.

At least three people died, including two children, after heavy rains triggered flash floods in New Mexico on Tuesday.

New Mexico's governor said Thursday the state has received partial approval for a federal emergency declaration for flood-damaged communities in the Ruidoso area. “This federal declaration is a critical first step,

The two children were identified as Charlotte Trotter, 4, and Sebastian Trotter, 7, according to their aunt Tiffanie Wyatt. She said their father, Sebastian Trotter, a solder based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and their mother, Stephanie, both suffered serious injuries but survived and were receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Texas.