CHAVES COUNTY, N.M. – If you live in southeastern New Mexico, you know the wind brings a lot of dirt.

Dust storms create low visibility and it can be dangerous when driving. KOB 4 found out what to do if you’re caught in the middle.

The National Weather Service says when there’s a dust storm or brownout conditions, the best thing to do is pull off the road, turn off your lights, keep your foot off the brake and stay inside the car. If you stay on the road, keep your lights on.

“You don’t want people to see your lights and use them as a target, thinking that the roadway is where you’re at. And obviously you’re not, you’re not traveling, you’re standing still. However, they often know that people in a dust storm are traveling through with their lights on and their flashers,” said Chaves County Undersheriff Charles Yslas. 

Yslas says it’s not uncommon to see people crash during these conditions.

“In this last dust storm, probably about three months ago or so, we had a large pile up on State Road 2. We had another large pile up in which a person unfortunately was killed on 285. So it’s imperative to use that situational awareness,” said Yslas. 

Right now, the sheriff’s department tries to warn people ahead of time, but they hope to implement new features they think will help.

“We’d like to see signs, not just signage, but flashing signs so that they are visible, and they draw attention,” said Yslas. “If you can avoid the incident or if you can prepare for the incident, you have a higher probability of success and safety.”

More than a dozen people were injured Tuesday after a sports utility vehicle crashed through the front glass wall of a thrift store in Las Cruces, authorities said.

First responders said 10 of the 15 injured in Tuesday’s crash were taken to hospitals for treatment and one person had life-threatening injuries.

FREIGHT TRAIN CARRYING GASOLINE, PROPANE DERAILS NEAR ARIZONA-NEW MEXICO LINE AMID AFTERMATH OF SEVERE WEATHER

They said the injured included employees and customers inside the Savers store.

Dan Trujillo, a spokesman for the Las Cruces Police and Fire Department, said the cause of the crash is unclear but didn’t appear to be intentional.

Elijah Sanchez, a Savers employee, said he heard people “screaming in pain” after the 10:30 a.m. crash.

“It was pretty chaotic,” Sanchez told Las Cruces TV station KFOX 14/CBS 4. “I didn’t know what to think, but I just knew that the best thing to do was to try and go help the people who needed help.”

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The name and age of the SUV driver wasn’t immediately released by authorities.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With summer now on the horizon, many people are looking to go hiking in the bosque.

“I think we’re really lucky here, in the city of Albuquerque, to have our open space lands that are protected and open to the public for recreation, to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors,” said Dustin Chavez-Davis, open space project coordinator.

The open space lands near the Rio Grande are a popular place for outdoor recreation but that comes with responsibility. That starts with prevention, such as reporting issues with encampments or illegal fires.

Officials say they’re doing their part to keep these spaces clean.

“The open space division has a regular maintenance schedule. So, we’re out here picking up trash at the trails. We’re keeping our parking lots clean and making sure there are no issues with fallen branches on the trails,” Davis said.

Another thing to watch out for is wildlife.

“The best general guideline is keep a respectful distance. If the animal is noticing you, that’s a sign that you are too close. You’ll want to make sure that they are comfortable and doing their thing,” an official with the New Mexico Wildlife Center said

Porcupines are among the animals you need to look out for. Officials with the New Mexico Wildlife Center recently released two of them after nearly a year in rehabilitation.

“The first one was admitted in May as a week-old orphan that was attacked by a dog and buried in a hole by the dog, so it came to us with severe wounds,” another official said.

Because of this, officials encourage you to always put your pets on a leash.