New Mexico
Ruidoso fire and flooding victims frustrated with FEMA
It’s been over three months since the South Fork and Salt Fires devastated Ruidoso and the surrounding areas, causing more than $29 million in damage, and victims are frustrated with the federal government’s response.
RUIDOSO, N.M. – It’s been over three months since the South Fork and Salt Fires devastated Ruidoso area, causing more than $29 million in damage.
Since then, the community has also faced flood after flood. Luckily, they’ve gotten a break from Mother Nature, but they’re still picking up the pieces.
KOB 4 spoke to FEMA officials about how they’ve helped some fire and flooding victims. But there are residents who say they’ve been having trouble getting that help.
“It has been a nightmare. I’m telling you because I’ve gone over there like 21 times, and they haven’t responded,” said Priscilla Aguilar, a wildfire evacuee.
Aguilar and Abel Montelongo are trying to get their money back. They had to leave Ruidoso Downs because of the South Fork and Salt Fires.
According to Montelongo, FEMA was supposed to help with those costs. However, after trying to track them down several times, he never got his money back. He did get $291 in food stamps/EBT money.
But it was flooding, not the fires, that impacted Aguilar and Montelongo’s home.
“Since the rain and the water is coming into the yard and getting under the house, it’s going to ruin all the piping,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar says they didn’t get the sandbags that officials promised them. At this point, they just want answers.
“At least they should have sent us a letter saying, ‘We’re not going to help you.’ Because that’s a promise that they made, not just to us, but to the whole community,” Aguilar said.
They applied for flooding insurance after FEMA mentioned an exception with the National Flooding Insurance Program might expedite the process.
“Normally, when you buy a brand-new flood insurance policy, there is a 30-day waiting period,” said Roberto Ramirez, a director of FEMA’s hazard mitigation branch. “If you are in a post-wildfire situation, like we are in Ruidoso, those 30 days can change to one day.”
There are different qualifications. For example:
- If the fire happened on federal land
- If you bought a flooding insurance policy within 60 days of the fire being fully contained
- If the flooding results from, or was made worse by, a wildfire
“We’re still within at least those 60 days from fire containment,” Ramirez said.
According to ArcGIS data, both fires were 100% contained Aug. 26. That means you have until Oct. 25 to apply.
“In Lincoln County, there’s only 252 policies. That’s the entire county. There’s a lot of people that don’t have flood insurance. Right now, we only had 73 claims since the disaster was declared,” Ramirez said.
We reached out to FEMA on behalf of Aguilar and Montelongo. However, FEMA told us that they can’t discuss individual cases due to privacy.
KOB 4 was told that once someone receives a letter of denial, they can appeal it. Denials can also happen for a number of reasons.
FEMA sent KOB 4 the following statement:
“They have 60 days from the date that appears in the Determination Letter. That letter is not the last word.
When someone applies with FEMA, we send an Inspector to verify losses and damages, ownership of property or rental contract and identity of the person. If the applicant don’t keep the appointment the system generates a Letter.
Many times survivors don’t present sufficient evidence and FEMA ask for more documentation such as hotel receipts with letterhead, and the dates have to match with the evacuation dates, food receipts, contractors estimates are verified. Every case is unique.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Republican candidate for governor Duke Rodriguez is suing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham over her executive order that started universal free child care before a new law takes effect.
The governor enacted the program through executive order in November.
Lawmakers passed a universal child care law during the past session, but that law does not take effect until May 20.
Rodriguez says he objects to some of the rules and to how the governor started the program. The suit asks the Second Judicial District Court to prohibit further enforcement of any regulations tied to the program.
“You could understand an outgoing governor trying to do it for political capital, for expediency just to say, I’m first in the nation.” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says he is confident he will win and that the rules he is challenging will be struck down.
“We also now have what we call pre emptive eligibility, which means you don’t even have to prove you’re eligible and you’re covered the moment you walk in,” Rodriguez said. “All of those things individually and collectively that have been proposed and changed probably invite fraud, waste and abuse and you know it.”
The governor’s office responds
The governor’s office sent a statement saying the program was properly implemented and that the governor is confident the lawsuit will be rejected.
A spokesperson for the governor sent KOB 4 the following statement:
“This lawsuit makes clear that Mr. Rodriguez has a fundamental misunderstanding how state government works. He states that ECECD did not have the authority to undergo rulemaking regarding universal childcare. They do. He states that ECECD did not have the funding to implement the program when they did their rulemaking. They did. That is why the program was operational in December – before the 2026 Legislative session started. Perhaps more importantly, the lawsuit ignores that the legislature passed SB 241, which codified the program and its future funding into law. The governor is confident that the courts will reject his meritless claims.“
Woody is up for adoption with the City of Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department. Meet him here!
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In this Love 4 Pets, we have Woody, Zwei and Kanai, who are all up for adoption at the City of Albuquerque’s shelters.
Woody is looking for a loving home after going through the ringer. He came to Albuquerque Animal Welfare about a month ago after he was hit by a car. He’s healing from some pelvic fractures and is moving slowly so he can hang out in the backyard and go for short walks.
Woody is very smart and can sleep all night. They believe he is about nine years old and is believed to be a Lab mix. He’s very sweet and is house-trained.
Woody is set to be 100% ready soon. You can meet him in the video above or at the Eastside Animal Shelter (details).
We also have Zwei and Kenai.
Zwei:
An Australian Shepherd mix, Zwei is a little tripod who is a great companion, has wonderful manners and loves to lean into you for hugs. She walks beautifully on a leash and doesn’t miss a beat, even with only three legs.
Zwei is currently in foster care. If you are interested in adopting her, contact Albuquerque Animal Welfare to set up a time to visit her.
Kenai:
Kenai is a Labrador retriever mix. He is a friendly, affectionate boy who enjoys being around people and has good manners. He walks well on a leash and is very excited about exploring the world.
Kenai loves attention, toys (especially stuffed animals) and car rides. So, if you’re looking for an adventure buddy, you can meet him at the Westside Animal Shelter (details).
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
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