Quay County’s supervisor mentioned he may request a state catastrophe declaration after flooding Thursday night time and Friday broken roads and destroyed a multimillion-dollar bridge days from its completion.
In Tucumcari, a extreme hailstorm that night time broken innumerable automobiles and roofs, and the torrential rain that got here with the storm triggered widespread flooding. A number of buildings closed not less than quickly resulting from giant hailstones tearing via roofs, permitting rainwater to pour inside.
Sinkholes and standing water at Tucumcari Memorial Park cemetery prompted the cancellation of the annual Memorial Day ceremony there.
Quay County supervisor Daniel Zamora on Friday inspected harm to the brand new, $4 million low-water bridge over San Jon Creek on Outdated Route 66 between San Jon and Endee. He mentioned flash flooding not solely destroyed the brand new bridge, nevertheless it broken the 1931 bridge, labeled as Bridge 1625, that quickly was scheduled to be closed to site visitors.
Zamora supplied the Quay County Solar a brief video of water gushing via a big breach within the low-water bridge.
Close by San Jon reportedly obtained seven inches of rain in a single day from a number of storms that rumbled via the area.
Zamora mentioned he determined to shut Outdated Route 66 indefinitely between San Jon and Glenrio due to different harm to the street and his insecurity within the older bridge’s situation.
“We do not really feel secure about it,” Zamora mentioned of the outdated bridge on Saturday. “It is wonderful how a lot water was there.”
He mentioned the brand new bridge’s contractor, Very important Consulting Group of Albuquerque, is bonded and insured, and it could file a declare on the harm.
Zamora mentioned he did not know the way lengthy it could take to restore or change the bridge.
He described the state of affairs as “a serious setback,” noting it had taken earlier county supervisor Richard Primrose and street superintendent Larry Moore years of effort to amass state funding for the venture.
Zamora mentioned Saturday he knew of not less than three different county roads “wrecked” by flooding, particularly these close to arroyos. He mentioned street crews have been prioritizing repairs for close by residents with medical circumstances who have to commonly depart their properties for therapy.
On Monday, Zamora mentioned he’d obtained extra studies of county roads broken by floods.
“There are broken roads far and wide,” he mentioned.
Zamora mentioned he “wasn’t ruling out” the likelihood he would ask the county fee throughout its subsequent assembly on June 5 to approve a decision that might request a state catastrophe declaration. He mentioned the decision, if handed, would ship the request to the New Mexico Division of Homeland Safety and Emergency Administration. If the request is accepted, it could make it eligible for help in protecting prices from the storms.
The storm Thursday night time produced hail as giant as baseballs in just a few spots in Tucumcari, in line with the Nationwide Climate Service, with many reporting golfball-size hail.
The slow-moving storm additionally was uncommon in that hail fell for so long as half-hour in some areas, turning the bottom as white as snow. Hailstones piled up in drifts on the sting of streets and flooded areas.
“There’s all types of property harm far and wide,” Tucumcari Police Chief Patti Lopez mentioned.
Hail additionally broken neon tubing on historic indicators alongside the town’s fabled Route 66 hall.
Heavy rain accompanied the storm, dumping 4 to 5 inches in Tucumcari and inflicting standing water as deep as 18 inches in some areas, Lopez reported.
A number of residents discovered their parked automobiles unexpectedly stranded in floodwaters on Friday morning, she mentioned.
Particles brought on by the hail littered the middle of streets after water pooled on each side.
The harmful storm arrived hours after energy was restored to the town following a 19-hour outage. A storm Wednesday night time knocked out a important energy line from Clovis, forcing Xcel Power to fireside up a backup generator on the Tucumcari’s north aspect. (See different story on this version.)
C.J. Wiegel, proprietor of Tucumcari Normal Insurance coverage Company, declared Thursday night time’s occasion “the worst storm in Tucumcari since I’ve been within the insurance coverage enterprise for 44 years.”
Wiegel added he recalled golfball-size hail “over many of the city” on Memorial Day weekend in 1986.
“My daughter, who’s a civil engineer in floor water, mentioned she researched the heavy rains within the far SE portion of the county, and the 8-9 inches of rains in 48 hours qualifies as a one in a 1,000-year rain occasion,” he wrote in an e mail. “The 4 inches in just a few hours may qualify as a one in 50 to 100-year occasion.”
Tucumcari metropolis supervisor Paula Chacon mentioned Friday mentioned some water infiltrated Metropolis Corridor, Tucumcari Senior Heart, Tucumcari Police Division, Tucumcari Recreation Heart and the KTNM/KQAY radio station.
She mentioned hail and rainwater additionally broken the Tucumcari Conference Heart, Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, Tucumcari Municipal Golf Course, 5 Mile Park and a number of other buildings downtown.
Metropolis Commissioner Paul Villanueva and conference heart supervisor Loy McSpadden inspected 4 skylights, damaged by hailstones, that allowed rainwater to pour into the constructing. Water as deep as 2 inches pooled in a number of locations in hallways, and saturated ceiling tiles dropped onto the ground. Rainwater additionally broken the Sheetrock in a number of partitions.
The conference heart, together with its New Mexico Route 66 Museum in a single wing, will stay closed as cleanup and repairs begin.
Hailstones broke via the roof on the not too long ago renovated chamber of commerce constructing, inflicting ceiling tiles and water to drop onto director Scott Crotzer’s workplace, a convention room and the Movie Tucumcari workplace. Floodwaters additionally seeped via a again door. The chamber constructing is also closed indefinitely.
Former chamber director Gail Sanders on Friday helped Crotzer decide up broken ceiling tiles and water-ruined different gadgets and toss them in a close-by Dumpster.
“It is simply unhappy,” she mentioned of the harm.
Anticipating extra heavy rain Friday night time, Tucumcari MainStreet supplied materials for sandbags so companies may halt extra flooding occasions. Nonetheless, solely gentle or reasonable rain fell through the weekend.
The torrential rains Thursday night time and Friday additionally triggered the cancellation of Monday morning’s Memorial Day ceremony at Tucumcari Memorial Park cemetery.
Members of VFW Put up 2528 and volunteers have been scheduled to put U.S. flags on veterans’ graves Friday morning, however sinkholes and standing water prompted them to name it off.
Chacon mentioned the Monday ceremony by the VFW was canceled resulting from “issues of safety” from the sinkholes and saturated floor.
The town parked a truck, blocking the principle entrance to the closed cemetery. Repairs to the cemetery have been scheduled to start this week.
An indication of how a lot water fell over the area might be discovered at Conchas Lake. In accordance with knowledge from the U.S. Geological Survey, the lake’s stage rose greater than 7 ft lower than three days after the the storm.
