La Union flood cripples town; residents without gas and water

Shari V. Hill  Sun-News

This week's heavy rains overwhelmed an aging earthen dam outside La Union, leaving many of the small community's people scrambling, frustrated and soggy. Home flooding, washed out roads and widespread utility outages forced many residents to evacuate their homes in southern Doña Ana County on Friday, a day when Gov. Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency throughout New Mexico after record rainfall and subsequent damage. "It's affected everybody," La Union resident Alex Uranga said. "It just got out of hand." No injuries have been reported, county spokesman Jess Williams said. He did not have count of how many people have been affected by the La Union flooding, but about 300 residences are without water and gas...more