Nearly $47 million in New Mexico loan funding is being made available for infrastructure repair work related to a massive 2022 wildfire that swept through large swaths of northern New Mexico.
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned through an estimated 341,000 acres during the summer and spring of last year, destroying just over 900 structures and significantly damaging nearly one hundred more.
The fire began as part of a controlled burn project in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest that quickly spread owing to heavy winds. By the time the fire, in late August, was declared officially over, it was classified as the largest and most devastating wildfire in New Mexico history.
Now, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation approved earlier this year providing zero interest loans for repair work in Mora and San Miguel counties. Projects eligible for the loans are expected to center on road restoration, culvert restoration, and road resurfacing.
“This is by no means the end of our support for communities affected by the largest wildfire in state history,” the Governor remarked in announcing the loans. Communities in those two counties are also anticipating funding support via the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program.
Previous FEMA support has seen the agency awarding around $17.3 million in funding to the Mora-San Miguel Electric Co-Op for electric infrastructure damage repair, along with another $1.5 million to reimburse the New Mexico FEMA office for shelter operations, equipment, and stuff during the fire.
Lujan Grisham has also issued 21 executive orders pushing through some $15 million in additional funding for Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire rebuilding efforts.
Last fall President Biden signed into law the Hermit’s Peak Fire Assistance Act, providing upwards of $2.5 billion for personal injuries, and property or business losses suffered as a result of the fire.
According to various reports the application process for FEMA funding has been regarded as cumbersome. Two months ago, Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, along with Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez sent a joint letter to the agency asking for a speeded-up process.
“Every day that passes without compensation to the victims delays their ability to begin rebuilding after losing so much,” the lawmakers remarked.
FEMA opened offices this spring in Las Vegas, Mora, and Santa Fe in an effort to expedite fire damage claims.
By Garry Boulard
