This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Officials believe at least one person died Tuesday after a vehicle was swept away at a flooded low water crossing in south Carlsbad.
Carlsbad Fire Chief Ricard Lopez said fast flowing water swept a vehicle from the low-water crossing at Boyd Drive around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Lopez and New Mexico State Police waited for water to recede Wednesday around 8 a.m. before attempting a recovery operation of what they believe to be only one body, the driver of the vehicle.
Lopez said the driver had not yet been identified.
“We’re watching the weather right now. Obviously, there’s chances of rain. It is subsiding a little so we’re just going to keep an eye on it throughout the day until we’re able to do a recovery safely,” Lopez said.
New Mexico State Police spokesperson officer Dusty Francisco said state police divers were on standby. He said that once determined it is safe, they will attempt to get to the vehicle and recover the body.
Eddy County spokesperson Jeri Strong said it was suspected the deceased drove around a barricade at the intersection of Boyd Drive and Monterrey Street.
“The vehicle was swept away by flood waters shortly after,” she said in a news release. 
Lopez said Carlsbad firefighters responded to other calls for rescue from flood waters on Tuesday night.
“There were two victims in Malaga we were able to rescue,” he said. “There was another call at the (Pecos) River near the swimming area that ended up with no one being in the water,” he said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) extended its flash flood watch for Eddy County in New Mexico and Culberson County in Texas through Wednesday afternoon.
“Thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall could lead to additional flooding and flash flooding in the watch area. Please do not attempt to cross,” a Twitter post from the NWS read.
NWS did note that temperatures would be slightly warmer today reaching into the low 80s with still a high chance of continued rainfall for southeast New Mexico.
Water accumulated through Dark Canyon Draw and flowing toward the Pecos River had begun to “slow” as it flowed through to the Pecos River Tuesday night.
Eddy County officials said the water levels in the Pecos River and in Avalon Lake where it was peaking over the Dam, were dropping slightly.
Mary Carlson, public affairs specialist with the Bureau of Reclamation, said Avalon Lake was full, storing runoff from Rocky Arroyo.
“Avalon Dam is operating safely,” she wrote in an email Tuesday. “So some of the continued inflow from Rocky Arroyo is now flowing down the Pecos into Carlsbad.”
Carlson noted that Dark Canyon carried a majority of the runoff water to the Pecos River.
The Eddy County Office of Emergency Management said around 10 p.m. Tuesday that the evacuation of neighborhoods along the lower Pecos River was almost complete.
The New Mexico Red Cross said it would be organizing a volunteer response team on Wednesday to do damage assessment and provide assistance to residents impacted by the flooding. Any persons needing assistance should call 1-800-842-7349.
The National Park Service announced the Carlsbad Caverns would be closed to the public Wednesday, June 30 in response to the flooding.
Road closures still in effect Wednesday morning are as follows:
The New Mexico Department of Transportation also issued a “difficult driving condition” for U.S. 285 through Carlsbad and along mile marker 70 to 80 north of Artesia.
Jessica Onsurez can be reached at jonsurez@gannett.com, @JussGREAT on Twitter at by phone at 575-628-5531.

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