Dam Breach Adds to Dangerous Southwest Flooding Emergency, Evacuations Underway

Floodwaters breached a 20-foot earthen dam in southern New Mexico Tuesday, sending water surging into the community of Garfield and triggering emergency evacuations as tropical moisture from Hurricane Polo and two other weather systems fuels dangerous flooding across the Southwest.

Dam Breach Forces Evacuations in New Mexico

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency Tuesday afternoon after dam operators and county officials reported the imminent failure of McLeod Dam. "At 2:01 PM MDT, dam operators and county officials reported the imminent failure of McLeod Dam," the NWS warning stated. Video captured floodwaters breaching the dam's 20-foot wall and pouring into Garfield, marking a sharp escalation of an emergency that had already prompted evacuations near the dam.

People in areas between Garfield and Salem were told to reach higher ground immediately. Those evacuation orders, along with ones for Hatch and Placitas, were lifted Tuesday night, though evacuations remained in effect for Rincon as of Wednesday morning.

In Ruidoso, New Mexico, officials issued a voluntary evacuation notice for residents in Upper Canyon beyond Main and Fox roads due to landslide risk, with a shelter open at Gateway Church. Farther west in Deming, multiple vehicles became trapped Tuesday as widespread flooding closed roads, with firefighters helping push at least one stalled vehicle out of the floodwater.