"The main reason was the South Fork Fire last year that burned directly west of Ruidoso," Grzywacz said. "The soil wasn't able to absorb any of the rainfall, and it runs right down into Ruidoso. Normally, if you had that vegetation still there, it could absorb it. For the Ruidoso monsoon season, it was above average rain but not record rainfall."

The overflowing floodwaters washed away local houses, broke trees, submerged roads, and caused miserable damage in Ruidoso.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez and the state’s Department of Justice are warning Ruidoso residents who were affected by the flash floods about potential scams. According to the news release by the Attorney General’s (AG) Office,