Police: 1 dead from NM flooding
9/14/2013ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico State police say a man has died after his vehicle washed into a ravine covered in mud near the Elephant Butte dam.
New Mexico State Police Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez said authorities discovered the vehicle today next to State Road 51 in Ash Canyon.
Gutierrez says vehicle was washed off the roadway, probably Friday during flooding.
The man’s name was not released.
The death is the first related to massive flooding in New Mexico this week from record heavy rains and overflowing rivers.
Gov. Susana Martinez issued a state of emergency on Friday to open up recovery funding for local communities hit hard by the flooding.