Record-breaking rainfall strands Roswell family on porch as house turns to river: 'Everything we own is gone'
“The back wall of the house … pretty sure it fell in. The car floated away. The inside of the house is a river," Chaser Dean Harper said in a video he recorded showing the desperate scene of the floodwaters' overwhelming force.
Half a year's worth of rain in a weekend strands New Mexico family on porch as Roswell home turns to river
Chaser and Nikki Harper narrowly escaped tragedy after their Roswell, New Mexico, home was destroyed by catastrophic flooding last weekend. Trapped on their porch, they were forced to shelter with their two dogs, two cats, four snakes and lizard as the floodwaters rose Saturday. The Harpers joined FOX Weather on Wednesday to share their story of survival.
ROSWELL, N.M. – A couple in Roswell, New Mexico, narrowly escaped tragedy after their home was destroyed by catastrophic flooding over the weekend.
Trapped on their porch, Chaser Dean Harper and his wife were forced to shelter with their two dogs, two cats, four snakes and lizard as the floodwaters rose Saturday.
"The back wall of the house … pretty sure it fell in. The car floated away. The inside of the house is a river," Harper said in a video he recorded (below) showing the desperate scene of the floodwaters' overwhelming force. "We're trapped on the front porch, and we have all the animals with us."
AT LEAST 2 DEAD IN ROSWELL AFTER RECORD-BREAKING RAIN IN NEW MEXICO LEADS TO DEVASTATING FLOODING
Roswell couple, pets await rescue on flooded porch after record-breaking rainfall
Footage captured by Roswell, New Mexico, resident Chaser Dean Harper shows him, his wife, their two dogs, two cats, four snakes and one lizard awaiting rescue on the porch of their flooded home on Saturday. Record-breaking rainfall triggered extensive flash flooding in southeastern New Mexico, on October 19. Harper said his family and pets were trapped on their porch for four hours before they were rescued by firefighters.
Four hours later, the Roswell Fire Department arrived to rescue the stranded family, according to Harper.
"Everything we own is gone," he said.
Footage captured by Roswell resident Chaser Dean Harper shows him, his wife, their two dogs, two cats, four snakes, and one lizard awaiting rescue on the porch of their flooded home.
(Chaser Dean Harper via Storyful)
The record-breaking event began Friday and continued through Sunday due to a slow-moving upper-level low-pressure system sitting on top of the Four Corners region in the Southwest, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Watch: Drone video captures scope of deadly flooding in Roswell, New Mexico
A drone video is giving a bird's-eye view of the destruction left behind after deadly flooding in Roswell, New Mexico, over the weekend.
Saturday night's storms repeatedly pummeled the same areas, dumping up to 3 inches of rain per hour. Numerous roads in Roswell remain closed Monday after the town's astonishing amount of rainfall, equivalent to half a year's worth, in just a single weekend.
The flooding resulted in two fatalities and the rescue of nearly 300 individuals from impassable and inundated roads.
Among those who were trapped was Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington, who took to Facebook to describe the unfolding situation.
Watch: New Mexico sheriff trapped by rushing floodwaters in Roswell
Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington recorded a video on Sunday morning showing flooding surrounding his police vehicle and urged people to stay home. Rare Flash Flood Emergencies were issued for the area as torrential rain and thunderstorms pounded the region Saturday.
"At this time, I am sitting on top of the roof of my police truck," he said in a video on Facebook. "I am completely surrounded by water at this time."
The FOX Forecast Center confirmed that Roswell Airport saw a staggering 5.78 inches of rainfall on Saturday. This surpasses the previous all-time wettest day on record of 5.65 inches, set on Nov. 1, 1901.