Hundreds of people from at least five communities in southern New Mexico were ordered to evacuate their homes as flash floods pushed the McLeod Dam to the brink of failure.

People in Salem, Garfield, Hatch and Placitas were able to return to their homes late Tuesday night, but officials in Doña Ana County said Rincon remains evacuated.

The National Weather Service issued an urgent warning for people to seek higher ground Tuesday afternoon, as operators of the dam reported its imminent failure and potentially life threatening flooding downstream.

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Stunning video showed the floodwaters overtopping the dam on Tuesday afternoon.

(MORE: Flood threat expands into Texas)

Local news reports showed washed out roads across Doña Ana County, and officials begged residents to avoid driving if possible.

Get More of Our News on Google

Set The Weather Company as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.

Gavin Smith, a Garfield resident, told The Associated Press that he and others had initially left the area before returning to assess conditions. He said floodwater had reached one side of the road near his home but had not yet crossed it.

Smith said his family was prepared to use sandbags around the doors if necessary and leave for either Truth or Consequences or Las Cruces if the water continued to rise.

Hurricane Polo remnants flooding the Southwest

Intense rainfall fueled by the remnants of Hurricane Polo is inundating the Desert Southwest, in the last 36 hours some areas have picked up more than 4 inches of rain, said our meteorologist Jennifer Gray.

Dozens of water rescues have been happening as drivers get caught in fast-moving floods.

In Tonopah, Arizona, west of Phoenix, a driver clinging to his overturned truck was rescued Tuesday by a helicopter team from the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.

On Monday night, the Mohave County's Sheriff's Office shared photos from its rescue of a family stranded in their RV that was overcome by floodwaters near Lake Havasu City.

Officials say the man and woman were camping with their two sons, ages 1 and 3, when the water reached the hood of the RV and started coming through the doors. Rescuers were able to get everyone out safely.

(MORE: Drivers fight through New Mexico floods)

Flash flood alerts remained in place for parts of New Mexico Wednesday morning. The flood threat also expands into Texas. Some areas could get as much as 5 inches of rain, including Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

You can get full forecast details here.