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.

Sandbags protect a building in Ruidoso, New Mexico after floods swept through town in July of 2024. This week's floods rose significantly higher. Photo: The Washington Post

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.

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.

Mexico has sent water rescue teams and firefighters to help in Texas after the holiday weekend floods that have killed at least 100 people, with many more still missing.

Every day for more than a week, Clemente Sánchez has gathered workers to help clear debris and destruction that a furious, 30-foot flood left in its wake in this small community wedged between the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River.

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.