“The River Can’t Be Trusted” by Abe Streep, photography by Cengiz Yar Co-published with Grist and Source New Mexico October 21, 2026, 6:00 am

“The River Can’t Be Trusted” by Abe Streep, photography by Cengiz Yar Co-published with Grist and Source New Mexico https://www.propublica.org/article/wildfire-flood-risk-ruidoso-new-mexico?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature October 21, 2026, 6:00 am Reporting Highlights A Known Threat: After two wildfires in 2024 charred hillsides above Ruidoso, New Mexico, experts warned dangerous flash floods could affect large parts of the tourist town. Tending to Business: Village leaders considered a plan to relocate some residences and businesses away from flood prone areas but returned to promoting tourism in 2025. Flooding Fatalities: On July 8, 2025, three people at an RV park died in a flood. Some first responders say the tragedy could have been avoided, while leaders insist they did all they could. I first traveled to Ruidoso, New Mexico, last July, weeks after a flood killed three people — two of them children — in the mountain community. By Abe Streep, ProPublica Southwest Reporter In 2024, two severe wildfires had burned areas above the town, which sits on a river canyon. Intense fires can exacerbate flooding and debris flow risk, and engineers had predicted that the threat would exist for years. How, I wondered, had three people died when the town’s leaders knew the area had become increasingly dangerous? To try to find out, I drove to Ruidoso seven times in the next 14 months, speaking frequently with the village’s mayor, Lynn Crawford, and other officials. When ProPublica visuals editor Cengiz Yar and I first met Crawford, he expressed frustration that people were seeking to assign responsibility. “Who’s to blame?” he said. “I didn’t start the fire.” I continued reporting and submitted at least 36 public records requests to 11 municipal governments and state agencies. Maybe all these records requests seem excessive for reporting on a relatively small town. But what happened in Ruidoso is a story important for the West, where post-fire flooding is an increasingly severe threat. And the more I reported and became better sourced, the more I met people who spoke openly with me about the village’s failings during the July flood. Local rescuers in particular wanted the public to understand what went wrong last summer, because they were worried the village was once again overly focused on tourism. Eventually, I was also able to speak with the parents of the children who passed away. They said they wanted their children to be remembered. As my editors and I were wrapping up final edits on this story, I reached out to a rescuer I had interviewed to make sure the reporting was accurate and to let him know we were close to publishing. He said something that stuck with me: “I hope it does help others who are going to go through the same thing and that they learn from our shortcomings.” I hope you’ll read the story.