Comment About 200 people were rescued from Carlsbad Caverns National Park late Saturday night after being trapped for several hours amid flash floods, New Mexico officials said. The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had warned of heavy rainfall and flooding in burn-affected areas of the state, especially those near or downstream from such areas. The Carlsbad area, in southeastern New Mexico, had been under a flash flood warning since Friday. Albuquerque residents Stephanie and Robert Saavendra told ABC affiliate KOAT-7 that they and their three children were among those trapped in the caves for several hours. They told the news agency that their family was halfway through their tour when park officials issued an evacuation order. The family walked for about 20 minutes to the cave visitor center building, but found that the roads outside were impassable, meaning they could not leave. As the Saavendra family waited to be rescued, they hurried and worried about the food. Stephanie Saavedra told KOAT-7 that employees offered food for sale but ran out. Stephanie Saavedra did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment on Sunday. Carlsbad Caverns was closed Sunday, according to the National Park Service. New Mexico State Police, the Eddy County Fire Department and the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office helped evacuate those stranded by the heavy rain, which left “about 200 people” stranded there, according to the Office of Emergency Management Eddy County Need. Their extraction came in the same week as other search and rescue efforts in the southwest, where flooding has put hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts at risk. Last week, Arizona firefighters rescued 25 people, including three children and an infant, in Bear Canyon of the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The water was moving at more than 3,000 cubic feet per second, Coronado National Forest officials said. Authorities were searching for a Tucson woman this weekend after flooding hit Zion National Park on Friday, CNN reported. Zion National Park is nearly 600 miles from Carlsbad Caverns and more than 300 miles from Tucson.
