Governor sends National Guard to Zuni Pueblo after flash flooding
Fourteen National Guard service members were sent to Zuni Pueblo after floodwater forced evacuations from Old Gallup Road, St. Anthony Road and State Highway 53.
Floodwater pushed families out of homes along Old Gallup Road, St. Anthony Road, Chavez Circle and the State Highway 53 corridor in Zuni Pueblo, where the Zuni Community Center was turned into a shelter as heavy rain battered the village. A power outage hit the southwest side of the village as residents tried to decide whether to leave, and state officials later sent 14 National Guard service members to help local responders.
The flash flooding hit on July 21, when evacuations were ordered in the largest of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, about 38 miles southwest of Gallup. The National Weather Service warned of heavy thunderstorms in southwestern McKinley County and said between 0.25 and 0.5 inches of rain had fallen between Zuni Pueblo and Black Rock. Even that amount added up fast in a place already dealing with days of rain and flooding.
Zuni Pueblo Governor Arden Kucate said many residents did not want to leave their homes. “We’ve made an effort for relocating the families to evacuate, but unfortunately, majority of them are very reluctant in not wanting to leave their homes,” Kucate said.
By July 23 and 24, tribal leaders had moved from immediate rescue to recovery after issuing an emergency declaration. Flooding damaged at least 20 homes, and some houses took on 2 feet of water. The scale of the damage made clear how quickly a storm in Zuni can cut into daily life, from sleeping arrangements to access to roads and power.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order on July 24 making state resources available for flooding and flash flooding response across New Mexico, including Zuni Pueblo, and later authorized emergency funds for impacted communities. The deployment of National Guard service members followed that order and added manpower to a response already stretched by evacuations, shelter operations and damage assessments.
For McKinley County, the flooding in Zuni was more than a village emergency. Roads that connect families to Gallup and the rest of the region were among those ordered evacuated, and the damage to homes and utilities showed how quickly monsoon runoff can isolate one of the county’s most important population centers.
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