Back-to-back floods in New Mexico and Texas with very different outcomes
In Ruidoso on Tuesday, up to 3.5in (8.8cm) of rain fell, sending water hurtling down the surrounding mountainside and swelling the river to a record high before a swathe of the village was flooded.The area surrounding Ruidoso was already vulnerable to flooding because of wildfires that hit New Mexico last summer. Two people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed as the South Fork and Salt fires swept through Ruidoso in June 2024. Residents were forced to evacuate as the conflagrations burned 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land on either side of the village.Days later, residents faced the one-two punch of devastating flooding. Homes surrounding Mr Gutierrez's brewery were among properties still vacant after those wildfires last year. The house that he saw floating down the river on Tuesday afternoon was one of many that had been left empty after the wildfires.Local officials are well aware that "burn scars" - areas of vegetation that no long absorb rainfall - are likely to cause more flooding in an area for years after fires. The National Weather Service (NWS) said two "burn scars" around Ruidoso would make the charred soil left behind from the wildfires "as water-repellent as a pavement". Tuesday's flooding was more of that side effect. "These floods were expected, we knew they would come and they did," Mr Gutierrez said. When a community is familiar with weather risks, they adapt, notes Upmanu Lall, director of the Water Institute at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. "The way human nature works, is that if they've experienced a event recently that informs the response," he told the BBC. "If your experience is you got hit with a flood, you probably will evacuate, if you keep getting warnings and nothing happens, you're unlikely to evacuate."
One state over, in Texas, the flooding caught many unawares. One reason was the sheer, staggering volume of rainfall - an estimated 100bn gallons, surpassing the daily flow over Niagara Falls.The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak last Friday as the Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes while young children and staff at summer camps were asleep as weather alerts were being sent. Search crews in Texas are still sifting through debris for scores of missing people.Experts have said there were a number of factors that led to the tragic floods in Texas, including the pre-dawn timing, the location of some homes and the extreme weather. Questions have been raised about whether authorities provided adequate flood warnings before the disaster, and why people were not evacuated earlier."We didn't even have a warning," Joe Herring, the mayor of badly hit Kerrville, Texas, told CNN.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
10m Americans in multiple US states told to shut windows TODAY as toxic chemicals spark air quality emergency
Officials have issued an air quality alert for around 10 million Americans, telling them to minimize outdoor activities and shut all windows on Tuesday. A National Weather Service (NWS) map shows parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Indiana and Maine are under advisories until midnight as wildfire smoke from Canada drifts into the US. The alerts stem from elevated levels of ground-level ozone and fine particulates, prompting precautionary measures. In Upstate New York, Vermont, and Maine, residents are advised to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity to mitigate health risks, according to the New York State Department of Health. The NWS has specifically warned residents in northeast Minnesota, eastern Michigan, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana to keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke infiltration. Current advisories indicate that ozone levels are not expected to reach 'dangerous' levels (AQI 201 or higher) in any affected region. The highest ozone-related concern is in Michigan's St. Clair to Monroe counties and New York's Niagara to Southern Erie counties, where levels are in the 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups' range (AQI 101-150). Other regions are primarily under fine particulate alerts, with no ozone warnings suggesting dangerous conditions, which are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and affect the heart. Last week, six US lawmakers wrote to Canada's ambassador, complaining that wildfire smoke drifting south was making it hard for Americans to enjoy the summer. In response, the premier of Manitoba accused them of 'trivializing' a deadly crisis. The fires continue to spread across thousands of acres. May and June were especially destructive in western Canada, where about 30,000 people were forced to evacuate in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, prompting states of emergency in both provinces. In eastern Canada, a wildfire that ignited Monday on Newfoundland's Bonavista Peninsula doubled in size overnight, destroying several cabins near Chance Harbour, according to CBC News. The smoke is now crossing the US border, blanketing millions of Americans. Air quality alerts are in place until 11pm ET several New York counties, including Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Northern Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, Northern Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and South Erie. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to exceed 101, signaling potential health risks. Separately, an advisory for fine particulates is active until midnight in Lewis, Livingston, Ontario, and Allegany, including cities such as Lowville, Geneseo, Canandaigua, and Wellsville. Similar alerts for fine particulates, with AQI levels predicted above 100, are in effect from 10 AM to midnight in regions including Northern St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex, and St. Lawrence counties. Northern Herkimer, Hamilton, and Warren counties, including Old Forge and Glens Falls, are also under a fine particulate advisory with the same timeframe. 'When pollution levels are New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects,' 'People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. 'Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.' In Michigan, St Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Monroe counties, including cities like Port Huron, Pontiac, Detroit and Ann Arbor are under advisories. However, a statewide Air Quality Alert for fine particulate matter put in place on Monday remains in effect. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued air quality alerts for northern Minnesota, affecting millions of residents. The alerts cover northeast and northwest/north central Minnesota, with varying levels of concern based on the Air Quality Index (AQI), including counties like Koochiching, St. Louis, Cook, Lake, and Itasca, and cities such as International Falls, Ely, Duluth, Hibbing, and Grand Marais 'Light winds will allow existing wildfire smoke across northern Minnesota to linger into this evening and overnight,' the NWS said. 'Concentrations are expected to be highest along and near the shores of Lake Superior. An additional round of heavy surface smoke from wildfires across southern Canada is expected to transport into northern Minnesota on Tuesday. In Illinois, the Air Pollution Action Day covers McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Grundy, Northern Cook, Central Cook, Southern Cook, Northern Will, Southern Will, and Eastern Will counties. Similarly, northwest Indiana's Air Quality Action Day includes Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper counties, encompassing Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Portage, and Valparaiso. Ozone levels here are also expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Air Quality have issued advisories, respectively, affecting millions in the northeastern US. In Vermont, an Air Quality Health Advisory for fine particulates with an AQI approaching or exceeding 151 ('Code Orange') is in place until midnight for Caledonia, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Essex, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans and Washington counties. The advisory in Maine, which lifts at 11pm, covers Northwest Aroostook, Northeast Aroostook, Northern Somerset, Northern Piscataquis, Northern Penobscot, Southeast Aroostook, Central Piscataquis, Central Penobscot, Southern Piscataquis, and Northern Washington counties.
Times
34 minutes ago
- Times
Schools and homes evacuated after Thames Water pipe bursts
A burst water main in south London forced a primary school to close, caused 27 homes to be evacuated and left 12 postcodes with low or no mains pressure on Tuesday morning. Videos of the worst affected area in south Bermondsey showed water halfway up the wheels of parked cars and semi-submerging the playground of Ilderton primary school, which closed for the day. Water also made its way into the car park of the Den — the Millwall FC stadium — and into the food bank storage room of a near by church. The day care centre next door advised children to arrive in their wellies, and residents were told to avoid contact with the floodwater and wash their hands regularly. Ash, a resident, told the BBC: 'The water came all the way down the road, from the bridge all the way down to the train station. I've only ever seen this in a tsunami or a hurricane-like situation.' Another resident, Lauren, said: 'It was quite scary really because we didn't know how high it was going to come up. I'm just so grateful that the house isn't damaged.' The flood happened on the same day that Thames Water released its latest financial accounts, revealing a £1.65 billion loss. Sir Adrian Montague, the company's chairman, today also told MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs committee that Thames Water was still in 'crisis mode'. 'What we are here to do now is to help it avoid a special administration,' he said. 'It will take at least a decade to turn Thames around,' added Chris Weston, the water company's chief executive. The flood started in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with the London Fire Brigade and Met Police arriving soon after. Southwark council said its staff had set up a rest centre to help those who had to leave their homes due to the flooding. Thames Water had sent a message to customers in the morning that said: 'Sorry that water may not be flowing properly. We're aware of a problem and we're in the area investigating. We'll get things back to normal as quickly as possible.' The flooding subsided by early afternoon as the supplier isolated the broken pipe section but the leak left debris behind and residents were still advised to avoid local roads. The council and emergency services continued to manage traffic, repair damage to roads and distribute water and sandbags into the afternoon. Miatta Fahnbulleh, MP for Peckham and minister for energy consumers, thanked those involved in the quick response online. • Water industry is 'deaf' to crisis facing sector, warn MPs On Tuesday afternoon Thames Water said: 'Our teams are onsite and have isolated the section of pipe that needs repairing. Water pressure continues returning to the area and customers should be seeing their supply come back. Your pressure may be lower than normal at first, but it will recover over the remainder of the day.' The water supplier, the UK's largest, with 16 million customers, also experienced a sharp increase in pollution incidents during the past year.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Air quality alerts issued in Canada and US as wildfires continue to burn
Air quality alerts are in place across Canada and the northern United States due to smoke from wildfires, with officials warning residents to "limit time outdoors".Environment Canada issued alerts for much of Ontario, warning that wildfire smoke had significantly degraded air quality. On Monday, Toronto's air quality ranked among the worst in the the US, officials issued similar alerts for Chicago through Tuesday evening, with additional precautions advised for babies and the Minister Mark Carney will meet emergency responders to assess the situation in Ottawa, as fires burning in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario have forced thousands out of their homes. "When air pollution levels are high, everyone should limit time outdoors," Environment Canada said in its special alert for Toronto. "Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events." It added that the elderly, pregnant women, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition were more at risk due to the smoke. Alerts have also been issued across the border in Chicago."An Air Quality Alert is in effect through Tuesday evening for the Chicago metro area in Illinois and in northwest Indiana due to unhealthy ozone levels and some lingering effects of Canadian wildfire smoke," the National Weather Service Chicago said in a post on X. The political implications of the wildfire smoke have also reached week, six members of Congress wrote to the Canadian ambassador complaining that smoke from Canada's wildfires was making it difficult for Americans to enjoy their summer. In response, the premier of Canada's Manitoba province accused them of "trying to trivialise" a deadly wildfires continue to spread across thousands of and June were particularly destructive months in western Canada, with roughly 30,000 people forced to evacuate in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where local administrations declared a state of east, a fire that began on Monday on the Bonavista peninsula in Newfoundland doubled in size overnight, destroying several cabins near Chance Harbour, CBC News reported. Scientists have consistently linked the intensifying wildfire seasons to climate is believed to be warming at twice the global average rate, and its Arctic regions are heating up nearly three times the global pace, scientists have warned.
