‘I have never seen something happen so quickly. It was in seconds’: Monsoon storms damage Angus home
By Sasha Lenninger
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ANGUS, New Mexico (KOAT) — Tara Fike was dog sitting for a neighbor Sunday when monsoon storms moved into the Angus area.
“I live right there and I came down to make sure the dogs were ok and it started hailing,” Fike said.
She noticed water running through the storm drain like it normally does. But within minutes, things changed. What was regular flowing water, turned into a fast-moving river down the side of the home.
“Like iron tables and chairs and stuff… I saw them moving and then I never saw them again. They’re miles gone and those big pots… so heavy to move. They were gone in an instant,” Fike said.
At the same time, she was worried about her car, which was parked close to the house, now flooded with water. She then noticed debris starting to build up.
“With all of that water coming in, the mud started coming in through the door and it was high enough to come in through the window,” Fike said.
She used towels to try and stop it from spreading and ruining the wood floors.
“I have never seen something happen so quickly. It was in seconds,” Fike said. “I was nervous because I’ve never seen something like that and my phone wasn’t able to make a phone call. So I was just taking videos, saying what was happening, like I have no idea what to do, I have no idea what is happening here.”
In a handful of cellphone videos and photos, Fike documented the raging river making its way down her neighbor’s driveway and alongside the home.
In all, the homeowner tells KOAT, the water caused around $5,000 worth of damage. This is also not the first time mother nature left destruction in its path for the family. According to the homeowner, they lost everything during the Little Bear Fire and it took years to rebuild their home. Then, over the summer, the Three Rivers Fires was just feet from their doorstep.
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