Emergency responders in Lincoln County were out in full force for the Lincoln and Hondo areas after damaging flooding the night before.
Lincoln County Undersheriff Alex Trujillo estimated 25 homes have been damaged, and no deaths have been reported as of 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. Glencoe, Hondo and the Lincoln fire departments, along with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, have been moving from property-to-property checking for damages and anyone still needing assistance.
At the time of reporting, crews are still working through the affected area and do not have an updated estimate for the number of homes affected.
On Thursday evening, Sept. 24, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque declared a Flash Flood Emergency for the Hondo and Lincoln communities and the stretch of highway in between. Flooding ensued throughout the evening, resulting in damage across the area.
Hondo Valley Public School facilities were opened as an evacuation shelter by the Red Cross on Thursday evening and remain open to the residents who still need supplies or a place to rest and seek shelter. No local residents stayed the night in the shelter, according to Red Cross Regional Commutations Manager Asher Furedy.
According to Trujillo, the Lincoln County Road Department is still working in Salazar Canyon to fill a “gigantic” sink hole that has left one resident trapped. It’s the only rescue effort being undertaken, Trujillo said.
Historic Lincoln saw flood waters falling down the mountain to its west rather than only rising from Rio Bonito, according to Oliver Horn, Regional Manager of New Mexico Historic sites.
“It was extensive,” Horn said. “Water was essentially flooding down the entire side of the mountain, and some areas were getting hit harder than others.”
As fire crews checked on residents and others worked to help clear the road, Horn’s staff was shoveling mud and sweeping water away from the front entrance of the Lincoln Historic Site visitor center. Two other buildings from the site were affected by the flood, according to Horn.
“It’s a small community and when something like that (flooding) happens, right away everybody starts checking on everybody to make sure they are OK,” said Jon Amastae, a Lincoln resident who was not displaced by the flood.
The highway between the two communities is clear but received a large amount of debris during the flooding, according to responders patrolling the area.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated when new information becomes available.