The two children were identified as Charlotte Trotter, 4, and Sebastian Trotter, 7, according to their aunt Tiffanie Wyatt. She said their father, Sebastian Trotter, a solder based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and their mother, Stephanie, both suffered serious injuries but survived and were receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Texas.

The children, ages four and seven, were swept downstream by a flash flood after the Rio Ruidoso river rose to a record-setting 20 feet.

As residents and businesspeople in Ruidoso assess the damage caused by heavy and dangerous flooding, others can find ways to help. Here is what to know.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was in Ruidoso on Thursday, July 10, 2025, where she reported federal funding will be coming.

New Mexico's flooding rains trapped multiple people and water rescues were under way in the state's south on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The big picture: The NWS' Albuquerque office reported after declaring a flash flood emergency for the Ruidoso area that multiple water rescues were under way at the village's Gavilan Trailer Park.

The National Weather Service in Pueblo issued a flash flood warning Saturday evening for Costilla and Huerfano counties in southern Colorado. The impacted area is about 35 miles north of the New Mexico state line.

Severe thunderstorms will head east by Saturday, impacting eastern Michigan and parts of northern Indiana. One to two inches of rain is possible as the system tracks east, but some areas could see isolated amounts of three to five inches through the weekend.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez and the state’s Department of Justice are warning Ruidoso residents who were affected by the flash floods about potential