SANTA FE, N.M. (NEXSTAR) A New Mexico mountain village prepared Wednesday for another round of monsoon rains as crews scrambled to dig out from a historic flash flood that killed three people, damaged dozens of homes and left streets and culverts clogged with mud and debris.

Monsoon rains in southern New Mexico triggered flash flooding that killed three people Tuesday and was so intense that an entire house was swept downstream in a mountain village that is a popular summer retreat.

A man, a 4-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy were swept away by floodwaters from an RV park, the village of Ruidoso, about 130 miles southeast of Albuquerque, said in a statement.

The children were related, but authorities did not release their names. Nexstar’s KTSM confirmed they were part of a Fort Bliss family. Military officials released a statement on Wednesday, stating that a Fort Bliss soldier and their spouse sustained serious injuries. The family was on approved leave at the RV campground near Ruidoso.

Three other people were hospitalized, authorities confirmed during a Wednesday press conference. They were all listed as being in stable condition.

Search and rescue crews were out Wednesday morning in places that had been hard to reach before dark on Tuesday evening, she said. No additional people had been reported missing as of Wednesday morning, according to Kerry Gladden, the public information officer for Ruidoso.

“Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,” Mayor Lynn Crawford said in a statement. “We are united in our sorrow and our commitment to supporting one another as we face this devastating loss together.”

The flooding also hit the Ruidoso Downs racetrack, which had been preparing for a series of big races this weekend. Crawford said during a news conference that eight horses were killed by the flooding and the racing season was canceled, meaning the village would take a big hit to its economy as the track brings in tens of millions of dollars each season.

Dozens of swift water rescues

New Mexico’s governor signed an emergency declaration Tuesday night and requests were pending for more assistance from the federal government as search and rescue crews fanned out Wednesday in places that had been hard to reach the night before.

Emergency crews completed dozens of swift water rescues before the water receded Tuesday, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars. Two National Guard rescue teams and several local crews already were in the area when the flooding began, and more Guard teams were expected to arrive, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

“We’ve even had contact from Mexico. The President of Mexico has called so I think that Texas has put a spotlight on it, and that it is really engaged to resources that are available,” Crawford said.

Several roads remained closed Wednesday and the mayor said it would take time to restore utilities in the most damaged neighborhoods. He said damage assessments would take several days to complete.

The floods came just days after flash floods in Texas killed over 100 people and left more than 160 people missing.

Residents urged to seek higher ground as river rose dramatically

In New Mexico, Crawford described an intense bout of rain that set the disaster in motion: “We received three and a half inches of rain on the South Fork burn scar in about a 90 minute period. That water came directly into our community and impacted the community head on.”

A weather service flood gauge and companion video camera showed the Rio Ruidoso’s churning waters surge over the river’s banks into surrounding forest. Streets and bridges were closed in response.

Officials urged residents to seek higher ground as the Rio Ruidoso hit a high-water mark of 20 feet above normal. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings throughout Tuesday, with an upgraded emergency notification coming at 2:47 p.m.

At the Riverside RV Park, owner Barbara Arthur and her guests scrambled up a nearby slope when the river started coursing through the site. It was the sixth time the river rose in the last several weeks and by far the worst, she said.

The high water destroyed Arthur’s house, a nearby rental house she owns and floated three trailers in her RV park.

“It’s just a lot destruction you know, not just a little bit like I had last year where I felt like I could clean up and get back in business. This one I think has got me,” she said.

Kaitlyn Carpenter, an artist in Ruidoso, was riding her motorcycle through town Tuesday afternoon when the storm started to pick up, and she sought shelter at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company with about 50 other people. She started to film debris rushing down the river when she spotted a house float by with a familiar turquoise door. It belonged to the family of one of her best friends.

Her friend’s family was not in the house and is safe, she said.

“I’ve been in that house and have memories in that house, so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking,” Carpenter said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

During a radio address Tuesday night, Ruidoso’s mayor encouraged residents to call an emergency line if their loved ones or neighbors were missing. He also said there were reports of dead horses near the town’s horse-racing track

“We knew that we were going to have floods … and this one hit us harder than what we were expecting,” Crawford said.

A vulnerable area after last year’s wildfires

The area has been especially vulnerable to flooding since the summer of 2024, when the South Fork and Salt fires raced across tinder-dry forest and destroyed an estimated 1,400 homes and structures. Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames, only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer.

“We know that the water levels seemed to be higher than they were last summer,” Silva said. “It is a significant amount of water flowing throughout, some of it in new areas that didn’t flood last year.”

Matt DeMaria, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said storms formed in the early afternoon over terrain that was scorched by wildfire. The burn scar was unable to absorb a lot of the rain, as water quickly ran downhill into the river.

Local officials said a village-wide warning siren and evacuation system was not triggered, while tailored evacuation warnings were initiated that included door-to-door visits by emergency personnel, who urged people to seek high ground.

Three shelters opened for people who cannot return home, while food banks and donation centers were handing out supplies for those in need.

Cory State, who works at the Downshift Brewing Company, welcomed in dozens of residents as the river surged and hail pelted the windows. The house floating by was “just one of the many devastating things about today,” he said.

The sight brought back painful memories for Carpenter, whose art studio was swept away during a flood last year. Outside, the air smelled of gasoline, and loud crashes could be heard as the river knocked down trees in its path.

“It’s pretty terrifying,” she said.

Other residents told Nexstar’s KTSM that the devastation of Tuesday’s flooding was worse than anything they experienced last year following two major wildfires and then a series of floods that rocked the area.

La Salsa Kitchen restaurant in Ruidoso reported on Facebook that it was devastated by flash floods.

“We’ve lost so much, but we’re determined to rebuild not just for ourselves but for our amazing employees and others in the community who were also affected,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post.

The restaurant shared some video of how the raging floodwaters raced by the restaurant and through the community.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.