RUIDOSO, N.M. — The body of a 20-year-old apparently swept away by flooding caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Dolly was found Monday in a thicket of debris near a washed-out bridge.
The victim, identified as Joseph Godienes, had been reported missing in this mountainous resort area by his brother, said Police Chief Wolfgang Born. He was one of two people reported swept away after apparently losing his footing near the Rio Ruidoso as it spilled over its banks Sunday.
Darlene Hart, a spokeswoman for the state of New Mexico, said Monday that there were “four or five” unconfirmed reports of missing people, but authorities have no definitive information on any of them.
Firefighters and rescue personnel in Ruidoso’s upper canyon area spent much of Monday helping stranded people across the swollen river one by one. Children were put in a rescue basket and slid across a ladder with a pulley system, while adults walked on hands and knees across the ladder.
A few dozen people awaited their turn. Some of those rescued were barefoot.
Authorities said 170 people were rescued Monday from the upper canyon and surrounding campgrounds.
Gov. Bill Richardson declared Lincoln County a disaster area, freeing emergency state funding to help ensure the safety of residents and their properties, as well as to restore and maintain critical public services.
The governor also took a helicopter tour and afterward described the scene as “devastating.”
“I saw the river raging,” Rich ardson said. “I saw a river raging and continuing to want to do damage.”
There was no rain Monday, just patchy gray clouds, and the river eased. Authorities allowed traffic back into areas that had been closed.
Tom Schafer, Ruidoso’s emergency-management coordinator, said there were 25 water rescues Sunday, mostly from vehicles but a few from homes.
“A lot of people were trying to get through in deep water areas, and they got stuck,” he said.
National Guard Black Hawk helicopters rescued about two dozen campers stranded by high water, Schafer said.
But he said some campers “had to hunker down last night” to await rescue Monday.
The sun broke through Monday morning, but Schafer said isolated thunderstorms were forecast throughout the week.
