Deadline extended for NM wildfire and flooding victims to apply for FEMA aid

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Saturday the deadline has been extended for wildfire and flooding victims to apply for FEMA assistance.

Affected residents now have until October 19 to apply for aid. This encompasses anyone the South Fork and Salt Fires affected, as well as residents affected by flooding in these places:

• Lincoln County
• Otero County
• San Juan County
• Rio Arriba County
• Mescalero Apache Tribe

“We appreciate our federal partners’ work to help us support New Mexicans who were impacted,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Even after the fires tore through these communities, they continue to be affected by the flooding, making it imperative that we give them more time to apply for the help they need to rebuild.” 

This extension also gives residents another 60 days to apply for both FEMA Individual Assistance and Small Business loans from the Small Business Administration.  

How can you apply for assistance? Here’s a few ways:

• Visit a Disaster Resource and Recovery Center Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Locations for those centers are listed at fema.gov/drc. 
• Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. 
• Call the FEMA application phone number at 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585).

“Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mountain time. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service,” a news release specified.

The State of New Mexico is also still offering full-service debris removal from private property at no cost to residents. There is no deadline to sign up. You can go here to learn more about that.