"The main reason was the South Fork Fire last year that burned directly west of Ruidoso," Grzywacz said. "The soil wasn't able to absorb any of the rainfall, and it runs right down into Ruidoso. Normally, if you had that vegetation still there, it could absorb it. For the Ruidoso monsoon season, it was above average rain but not record rainfall."

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 summer rainy season in New Mexico usually brings daily alerts about the potential for flooding around the arid state.

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.

Flash flooding hit a New Mexico town devastated by wildfires last year, washing away at least one home and causing gas leaks, city officials said Tuesday.

The National Weather Service is sharing details on the rapidly evolving situation in New Mexico. In the past few minutes, the NWS says a "father and two children washed away. SW crews in pursuit." Another update reads, "1 adult 2 children trapped and needing rescue".

Rio Ruidoso River at Hollywood, just east of Ruidoso, New Mexico, rose 20 feet in just 30 minutes around 4 p.m. Tuesday. A flash flood emergency is in effect.

A man who saw the flash flood that descended upon the New Mexico mountain community of Ruidoso, killing three people and damaging dozens of homes, described the scenes as "unbelievable."