Santa Fe, New Mexico — Acting Gov. Howie Morales has signed five executive orders declaring a state of emergency as floodwaters overwhelm communities across New Mexico, unlocking up to $3.75 million in state aid for response and recovery.

## What is happening:

Morales — the lieutenant governor, acting in place of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is out of state — signed the orders Wednesday. Each of the five orders, numbered 2026-073 through 2026-077, sends $750,000 through the Department of Finance and Administration to the state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, for a total of $3.75 million. The money goes to counties, cities and villages whose response costs have outgrown local resources, covering temporary lodging, shelter, food, health care and transportation for flood victims. The orders also direct the adjutant general to deploy the New Mexico National Guard wherever civil authorities need backup.

The flooding follows days of heavy rain, fed in part by leftover tropical moisture from Hurricane Polo, which struck Baja California as a Category 3 earlier this week. The state transportation department closed U.S. 60 west of Socorro after floodwaters chewed away the embankment under a bridge, leaving the structure unsafe. In Doña Ana County, about 100 residents who took shelter from the rising water were headed home Wednesday as conditions eased.

## Local impacts:

State emergency officials say the deluge has battered public infrastructure, knocked out transportation routes and put homes and businesses in harm's way across multiple regions — with more rain still in the forecast. Flooded fields have also put the tail end of the red chile harvest in jeopardy in the south.

## What to do:

- Follow instructions from local officials, and evacuate immediately if you are told to leave.

- Never drive, walk or swim through floodwater. Just six inches of moving water can knock a person down, and two feet can carry a car away.

- If you see water rising around you, get to higher ground immediately.

- Keep following updates from the state's homeland security and emergency management department.

*Source: Santa Fe New Mexican, October 1, 2026. Reported by TNW News.*