RUIDOSO, N.M. — Two weeks after deadly flooding swept through Ruidoso, residents of Gavilan Mobile Home Park are still trying to recover. Over the weekend, the park’s manager, Monda Milton, informed several families they could no longer stay on the property due to ongoing safety concerns.
“They were trying to still stay and sleep in their trailer and we found out about it. And my husband told them they had to go. It’s too dangerous, because water will come again,” Milton said.
The Village of Ruidoso has marked the park’s properties as unsafe, though officials clarified the area has not been condemned. Residents must now go through a substantial damage assessment process to determine whether rebuilding is possible.
Milton, who has managed the park with her husband for 14 years, described the chaos of the flood:
“We maybe had three minutes from when we got our signal on our phone to go for help, get out,” she said.
“We had a mobile home go through a mobile home. We had a young girl in a car [that] went through a mobile home, and the car is still in the mobile home.”
Currently, 48 families are displaced, living in hotels or with relatives. Many are without water, gas, or electricity. Milton says the community feels like family, and she’s urging neighbors to help.
“My heart breaks for the people. I’ve become close to a lot of these people,” she said. “We’re in motels with all the other little refugees that lived here.”
The Community Foundation of Lincoln County is still accepting donations to support flood victims.
Village Statement on Property Safety
The Village of Ruidoso emphasized that no properties have been officially condemned. Instead, teams are working with residents to assess damage and guide them through the necessary steps. If a property is found to be more than 50% damaged and located in a designated floodway, it cannot be rebuilt under current ordinances. Properties in the floodplain may be rebuilt but must meet updated standards.
For more information or to begin the damage assessment process, residents are encouraged to contact the Community Development Line.
