Home Care In Rincon, NM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The remnants of Hurricane Polo brought emergencies, evacuations, and flooding across New Mexico on Tuesday after days of widespread rain.

The Rincon Valley in southern New Mexico

Southern New Mexico in the Rincon Valley, also known as the Hatch Valley, was hit particularly hard on Tuesday.

Evacuations were ordered for several towns, including Hatch, Rincon, Salem and Garfield.

Concerns remain that the McLeod dam could collapse.

Hatch Valley Public Schools is canceling classes for Wednesday.

Northwest Albuquerque

Metro flooding team coverage in the field: Reporter Monica Logroño and photojournalist Dennis Quintana, reporter Melissa Wright and photojournalist Joey Wright.

An intersection in Ventana Ranch was temporarily closed due to rain and flooding Tuesday.

Paseo del Norte Blvd NW and Universe Blvd NW were temporarily closed around 3:30 p.m. after a stretch got flooded out. Police Service Aides had the area blocked off. It reopened before 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.

KOB 4 Chief Meteorologist Eddie Garcia said some parts of the Metro have seen two inches of rain or more in just 24 hours.

Rio Rancho

A large hole opened along a dirt road near Huron Road in Rio Rancho and a homeowner said it kept growing, narrowing the road and exposing pipes.

The homeowner said she first noticed the hole around 10 a.m. and said it had grown since then.

The homeowner said she has lived there for five years. She said the city has tried to maintain the road with sand and gravel, sometimes as often as once a week, but she questioned whether that is enough.

She said she also asked the city about paving the road, but the city said it would be too expensive.

The city told KOB 4 crews are assessing and making repairs in the order of severity and public resources.

Roswell Mayor Timothy Jennings said fast, heavy rain could overwhelm the city’s drainage system if 3 inches fall in a short time.

Jennings told KOB 4 his main concern is rain rate, not just total rainfall, as crews watch for more storms in the Roswell area.

“If we get three inches and it’s quick, that gives us a problem, because we don’t have the channel capacity to keep that much water, let that much water through Roswell,” Jennings said.

People in the area prepared for rain last week as storms moved through. The city and county also distributed thousands of sandbags.

Light rain caused pooling on roads near downtown Gallup, and San Juan County said County Road 7900 near U.S. 550 collapsed before crews reopened it.

Though county officials reopened the road, but the fix is not permanent.

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority reported some water outages in its coverage areas and said crews are working to restore service.

In Las Vegas, city and county crews said they have spent more than a year clearing waterways and handing out sandbags as a flood watch hangs over the area.

If flooding happens, the city said it will open the recreation center as a shelter. Swift water rescue teams are also ready to respond, and officials said people who need help should call 911.

In Mora County, at least four roads are closed due to flooding.

Hundreds fled as New Mexico's McLeod Dam neared collapse; some returned home, but Rincon remains evacuated.

Hundreds of people from at least five communities in southern New Mexico were ordered to evacuate their homes as flash floods pushed the McLeod Dam to the brink of failure.

People in Salem, Garfield, Hatch and Placitas were able to return to their homes late Tuesday night, but officials in Doña Ana County said Rincon remains evacuated.

The National Weather Service issued an urgent warning for people to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon, as operators of the dam reported its imminent failure and potentially life threatening flooding downstream.

Stunning video showed the floodwaters overtopping the dam on Tuesday afternoon.

Local news reports showed washed out roads across Doña Ana County, and officials begged residents to avoid driving if possible.

Gavin Smith, a Garfield resident, told The Associated Press that he and others had initially left the area before returning to assess conditions. He said floodwater had reached one side of the road near his home but had not yet crossed it.

Smith said his family was prepared to use sandbags around the doors if necessary and leave for either Truth or Consequences or Las Cruces if the water continued to rise.

Hurricane Polo remnants flooding the Southwest

Intense rainfall fueled by the remnants of Hurricane Polo is inundating the Desert Southwest, in the last 36 hours some areas have picked up more than 4 inches of rain, said our meteorologist Jennifer Gray.

Dozens of water rescues have been happening as drivers get caught in fast-moving floods.

In Tonopah, Arizona, west of Phoenix, a driver clinging to his overturned truck was rescued Tuesday by a helicopter team from the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.

On Monday night, the Mohave County's Sheriff's Office shared photos from its rescue of a family stranded in their RV that was overcome by floodwaters near Lake Havasu City.

Officials say the man and woman were camping with their two sons, ages 1 and 3, when the water reached the hood of the RV and started coming through the doors. Rescuers were able to get everyone out safely.

Flash flood alerts remained in place for parts of New Mexico Wednesday morning. The flood threat also expands into Texas. Some areas could get as much as 5 inches of rain, including Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

You can get full forecast details here.

NOTE: Video is from our team weather coverage before the evacuation orders were lifted.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Doña Ana County has lifted evacuation orders for residents and visitors in Salem, Hatch, Garfield, Placitas, and Rincon.

Heavy rain and a flash-flood emergency at McLeod Dam forced evacuations on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The last evacuation order for Rincon was lifted Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, but Doña Ana County urges caution for individuals returning to the area.

The County said it has lifted the evacuation for the other four communities because the storms have passed and additional “large amounts of rain are not forecasted,” the County said.

Officials stated Rincon’s evacuation orders were lifted after determining that the major flooding risk had subsided.

Residents returning to Rincon are avised to remain cautious due to flooding, debris, damaged roads, and other hazards.

Officials reported that at least one water rescue was conducted in the area on Wednesday morning, Sept. 30.

A video posted to social media by Doña Ana County Public Safety showed multiple agencies assisting in a water rescue for a woman stuck in floodwaters on Highway 185.

“Doña Ana County Fire Rescue, Las Cruces Fire Swift Water Rescue Team, NMSP, DASO, MVSAR, and the National Guard rescued one person from a vehicle that became trapped in high floodwaters,” the caption read

A flash flood emergency was issued for McLeod Dam Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 29.

According to the National Weather Service, dam operators reported the “imminent failure” of McLeod Dam on the McLeod Arroyo.

At the time, officials urged residents to seek higher ground, saying the incident is a “dangerous situation” and “life-threatening.” They also said residents should not to wait for conditions to worsen before evacuating.

Now that evacuation orders have been lifted for all five communities impacted, residents should:

Video footage showed the conditions in Garfield and Salem on Tuesday afternoon. Buses were seen driving through flooded roadways.

“It’s so sad here in Salem. Residents are having issues getting home. Roads are slick, flooded and in some areas impassable. Farmers have had a hard year with the drought and severe heat and now they are losing crops due to flooding and too much rain. Pray for our community,” Victoria Franzoy she told KTSM.

She shared a photograph of the Rio Grande showing a surge of rushing water, and pointed out that the riverbed had been dry just one day earlier.

Students of Garfield Elementary School were “safely transported” to Hatch Valley High School where parents could pick them up.

Due to heavy rains, Hatch Valley Public Schools is canceling school on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

“Due to the recent heavy rains, we are aware that many of our families are being impacted by impassable roads, flooding, and limited transportation,” the district said.

“We made this decision to keep our students safe while giving flooded or muddy roads time to dry out,” the district added.

Footage taken by WxChasing showed Interstate 25 in Hatch flooded. According to the Facebook post, firefighters are performing water rescues as the Rio Grande swells beyond its banks.

Photos from NM 313 near mileposts 11 and 12 show flooded roads and debris on the highway.

Dona Ana County said it wanted to thank residents for following evacuation instructions and emergency responders, public safety agencies, public works crews and community partners who continue working to protect residents and respond to flooding.

For the latest information and updates, visit donaana.gov.

Evacuation orders from Garfield to Hatch were issued by Doña Ana county Tuesday night after large amounts of rain covered the area and a dam was close to failure.

First reports of trouble in the northern part of the county came in around 2:00pm when an emergency alert went out warning of a “life threatening situation" due to the "imminent failure” of the McLeod Dam in Garfield.

According to The National Inventory of Dams, the last inspection done in 2023 showed the McLeod Dam was in “poor” condition, had a high potential hazard classification and had no emergency action plan in place.

Due to this and the heavy rainfall in the area, Doña Ana County issued evacuation orders for Garfield and Salem. Later evacuation orders also came in for Rincon, Hatch and Placitas.

State representative Nathan Small was at one of the evacuation points at the Radium Springs Community Resource Center. He shared what he heard at that time.

“What we heard, sort of from reports, there is water coming over the top of some flood control facilities in that northern part of Doña Ana county. There is flooding in the village of Hatch and so folks are being asked to in specific areas and I think that everyone needs to be on a higher state of awareness and caution right now,” Small said.

Also present at the community center was The American Red Cross. At the time of the interview, around five to seven residents were there. American Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager for Southern New Mexico Carina Gonzalez said that they would be there to help as long as they are needed.

“So this is a safe and warm place for them to stay overnight so obviously they will sleep in cots for the remaining time. We will have snacks, water, just a place to come and then from there we will see what other needs arise,” Gonzalez said.

UPDATE (9/30/26, 5:06AM): Doña Ana County lifted the evacuation orders for residents and visitors in Salem, Hatch, Garfield, Placitas Tuesday night, as storms have passed and additional large volumes of rain are not forecasted, according to a Doña Ana County press release.

The evacuation order remains in effect for Rincon. Residents in Rincon who evacuated should not return home at this time due to the dangers of standing floodwaters. Conditions in the area remain unsafe, and residents should continue to follow evacuation instructions from emergency officials.

Rincon, New Mexico (KFOX14/CBS4) — Evacuation orders have been lifted in parts of New Mexico after heavy rain and flooding forced some residents from their homes.

In Rincon, one family is now dealing with the damage left behind after recent storms caused part of their home’s roof to collapse.

Mary Esparza and her granddaughter, Deandra Esparza, live in Rincon, where heavy rain moved through the community.

Deandra said the family knew rain was coming, but they did not expect the storm to cause so much damage.

“It just saw, like, heavy rain and it was just, like, I guess, like, since it's, like, so old already, like, couldn't, like, hold it anymore, so it just, like, all, like, collapsed and through the roof.”

The collapse damaged the home and destroyed years of family belongings, including photographs and other memories.

Destiny Venecia reports on Rincon family salvages photos after storm collapses part of generations-old roof (Credit: KFOX14)

“I mean, we expected rain, but not this much rain,” Mary Esparza said. “And we lost a lot of the pictures. I mean, the house had caved in, you know, on the side, the ceiling and stuff.”

For the Esparza family, the damage is especially difficult because the home has been part of their family for generations.

“We didn't expect it to, like, all cave in at once,” Deandra said. “So it's just, like, really sad because my great-grandparents lived there... my grandpa and them used to live there, and then we started living there. So, just, like, generation and generation, just moving in there.”

Now, the family is working to clean up mud, sheetrock, and damaged family photographs while trying to protect the front portion of the home from additional rain.

Deandra said the family has used roofing paper to help keep the home protected, doing what they can with the money they have available.

“They put roofing paper on it, you know, as much as we could be able to afford,” she said. “'Cause, I mean, it's hard times.”

The cleanup is more than just repairing a damaged home for the Esparza family.

They are also trying to preserve what they can of the family history and memories that remain after the storm.

Meanwhile, residents in the area continue to assess the damage as they recover from the heavy rain and flooding.

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