RUIDOSO, N.M. – At least 200 homes have been destroyed by flooding in Ruidoso, and that’s on top of the 1,588 structures destroyed in the South Fork and Salt fires.

“Yesterday was the worst day of the flooding that we’ve had, as far as the destructiveness of it,” said Kerry Gladden, a public information officer with the Village of Ruidoso. 

Gladden says more homes could be added to that list.

“In Brady Canyon, and far back in the Upper Canyon, we haven’t even been able to get all the way up there to assess all the damage,” said Gladden. 

As of Sunday, Upper Canyon and Paradise Canyon are open to residents only. More closures near bridges and roads could also be added as needed to clear off debris. 

In terms of utilities, several water lines were compromised in Upper Canyon. Crews are working to get those back online. The flooding also knocked out some power lines.

“We had a couple of neighborhoods that that were down where power had to be shut down. But, overall, our utilities, our water system, everything is good. We have we still have a do not drink order in the Upper Canyon. But that’s the only thing affecting any of the utilities right now,” Gladden said. 

Gladden explained the constant flooding has caused the water to find new paths, hitting homes that used to not have these issues.

“If it was just water you were having to deal with, that would be one thing. But this is, you know, hole trees and huge trunks and boulders. So when you’ve got the force of water behind that, you’re going to cause damage on the way down. And in many cases, you know, we have our canyons where we’ve had these streams and rivers running, but the way this water comes down, it creates its own path,” said Gladden. 

Gladden says the back-to-back flooding is also not giving crews a chance to mitigate or prevent flooding from taking such a large toll.

“The burn scars and the debris flow they’re gonna come, the waters gonna go somewhere. So when real mitigation begins, will be after this monsoon season after we get through this. Different agencies are helping us with that we’re talking about trash racks and building sort of wood dams up in the forest so that, you know, it can stop some of the debris from coming down. And those are all great things that we’ll be able to use, but you can’t go in and build them on top of debris that’s going to flow,” said Gladden. 

The White Mountain Relief Center on Hull Road is open and can hold up to 500 people. Folks can also stay overnight.

FEMA has approved more than $3 million for the South Fork and Salt fire victims that includes flooding recovery.

Residents can apply for grants on disasterassistance.gov. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Aug. 19.

There’s also a grant available for business owners, click here for more information.