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1969 Belen Flood
BELEN — When the Highline Canal broke last Tuesday night, sending millions of gallons of storm water rushing through the streets of the city of Belen, many residents in the Hub City weren’t surprised. Flooding in the small railroad town isn’t uncommon and, unfortunately, a breach of the high-capacity irrigation ditch isn’t a new phenomenon either.
The Highline Canal was breached three years ago on July 5, 2018, at Hanson and Castillo, which has since been built up.
Before that, in the fall of 2017, the canal broke south of Belen, flooding dozens of homes in the community of Pueblitos.
Roll the clock back 50 years to 1969 and you will find photos of massive flooding in the city, as well as many residents who remember the disaster first hand.
All photos, which are copyrighted, in the below gallery were published in the Valencia County News-Bulletin on Monday, June 15, 1969, and in at least two subsequent issues when our offices were on the corner of Sixth and Baca.
Valencia County News-Bulletin archives
