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Authorities confirmed that at least one person was killed and 290 people were rescued after heavy rainfall and flooding near Roswell, New Mexico, a city about 300 km south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Chaves County – with further rainfall expected on Sunday .
Key facts
The New Mexico National Guard said in a statement on social media that as of around noon Sunday, it and other agencies had rescued 290 people, and 38 of those people were taken to local hospitals.
The city of Roswell said in a statement that “one death has been confirmed as a result of the flooding,” although search and rescue operations were still ongoing Sunday morning.
As rescue efforts continue, Roswell officials encouraged people to stay off the streets on Sunday, saying debris in the streets was a hazard and water levels remained high in downtown and along the overflowing Spring River Canal.
Roswell and much of the surrounding area is under a flood watch or warning until 3 a.m. ET Monday.
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What to pay attention to
More rain on Sunday. The National Weather Service said widespread rainfall and thunderstorms were expected in central and eastern New Mexico, with flash flooding and river overflows again possible in Roswell. The storms could be strong enough to produce large hail, damaging wind gusts “and even a tornado or two,” the weather service said.
A large number
5.78. That’s how many inches of rain fell in Roswell on Saturday, setting a new daily record. The previous record of 5.65 inches was set on Nov. 1, 1901, according to the National Weather Service.
A surprising fact
Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington released video from the top of his police truck that was almost completely submerged Sunday morning. He said many vehicles came to the area not expecting the high water level and were swept away by the flood, and two people who were walking through the water were waiting for the water level to go down with it.
Further reading