The City of Albuquerque took swift action, recruiting extra support from several departments, to respond to heavy rain and flooding throughout the city and ensure the well-being of residents in hard-hit neighborhoods. Last night, Albuquerque experienced 1.48 inches of water in less than 90 minutes. Average rainfall for this time of year is typically just 0.03 inches.
“Our city experienced historic weather last night, and our hearts are with everyone who experienced any damage or was put in a dangerous situation,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We’re grateful that our departments jumped into action to keep people safe all over Albuquerque, and worked together with our partners to prevent more serious flooding in some of our city’s treasured historic neighborhoods.”
The downtown area was among the hardest hit, including Martinez Town and Barelas. The City built the Marble Arno Pump Station about two years ago to protect historic neighborhoods from devastating floods similar to those seen as recently as a decade ago. Last night marked the first extensive use of the pump station, which faced challenges due to power surges but ultimately prevented more severe flooding.
The facility is maintained by the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority (ABCWA). After an initial power surge disabled two of the four pumps, City personnel and ABCWA managed to manually restore them to drain the neighborhood. For several hours before the pumps were operational again, water reached up to houses in surrounding areas. However, once functional, the pumps mitigated extensive damage. The drainage pond, capable of holding up to 78 acre-feet of water, was full last night, preventing further spillage into residential areas.
Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) responders checked on residents last night and today, ensuring they had food, water, and other necessary resources.
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) responded across Albuquerque by closing dangerous roads and assisting individuals in need. AFR responded to 142 calls for service between 8:00 p.m. and midnight alone; their typical call volume is 260 every 24 hours. AFR conducted various operations including rescuing stranded motorists, helping a group from an American Legion Post reach safety, and patrolling arroyos for flash flood risks.
The Department of Municipal Development (DMD) deployed additional personnel across the city for flood response, power outage management, and street maintenance using:
- 2 vector trucks for storm drains
- 6 sweeper trucks for sewer drainage
- 4 pump trucks for ponding areas
- 2 scraper trucks for channeling water
DMD has restored all traffic signals affected by outages last night and prioritized downtown street sweeping today. Residents can report downed trees via 311 by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m., with Solid Waste crews scheduled for cleanup by mid-week.
Several City facilities sustained minor flooding and water damage but operations or services are not expected to be interrupted. As potential rain continues towards monsoon season, the City remains prepared to ensure safety and service delivery. Residents needing resources can contact 311.