Emergency warning issued for Upper Canyon area in Ruidoso

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An emergency warning has been issued for the Upper Canyon area of ​​Ruidoso as flash flooding, mudslides and landslides are expected on Wednesday, July 10, according to the Ruidoso community Facebook page.

The village asked Upper Canyon residents to vacate the property by 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. Homeowners were allowed access from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to collect personal belongings.

Due to expected flooding, FEMA closed its disaster response centers on Wednesday. The municipality says operations will resume at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 11.

The village announces that the following roads are closed:

• Main street in the south
• Fern Path
• Brady Canyon at Ponderosa
• Paradise Canyon at Phillip’s Circle, Hull Road and Country Club

An evacuation shelter has been set up at the White Mountain Relief Center at 687 Hull Road (White Mountain Sports Complex).

On Tuesday, July 9, evacuation orders were issued for Cedar Creek, Upper Canyon, Brady Canyon, areas along the Rio Ruidoso, and Paradise Canyon and Hull. An evacuation was also ordered for Cherokee Mobile Village.

Tuesday’s flooding also caused several gas leaks throughout Ruidoso, according to the village. People are urged to avoid gas odors and report any problems to Zia Natural Gas at 800-520-4277 or (575) 378-4277.

The Ruidoso and Mescalero Apache areas were hit by two major wildfires last month, burning more than 25,000 acres of land and damaging or destroying over 1,000 structures. The entire village of Ruidoso and other areas had to be evacuated.

After the fires were under control, Ruidoso was also hit by two days of flash flooding from June 29 to 20.