It has been 90 days since President Biden declared a major disaster for the state of New Mexico following the South Fork and Salt Fires and flooding June 17 through Aug. 20, 2024. To date, more than $22 million in federal assistance has been approved for New Mexican families affected by the disaster.

FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) have approved grants, loans and insurance settlements for recovering homeowners, renters and businesses in Lincoln, Otero, Rio Arriba and San Juan counties and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. This assistance helps pay for eligible losses and disaster-related damage repair and replacement of homes and personal property, temporary housing, cleaning and sanitizing, moving and storage, childcare, medical and dental expenses and other needs of New Mexicans affected by the fires and flooding.

"We are working closely with our federal, state and local stakeholders to help those that need assistance to recover from fires and flooding," said Federal Coordinating Officer James McPherson.

As of Sept. 19, FEMA Individual Assistance totaled more than $6.68 million in grants to eligible homeowners and renters, including:

• More than $3.99 million in housing grants to help pay for home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing. 
• More than $2.69 million grants to help pay for personal property replacement and other serious disaster-related needs, such as moving and storage fees, transportation, childcare, and medical and dental expenses. 
• The first household licensed in for Direct Housing took place on Sept. 9, with seven households currently occupying a temporary travel trailer, 14 more households are in the process of being housed.

The deadline to apply to FEMA for federal disaster assistance is Oct. 19, 2024.

Public Assistance 

FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) program for the South Fork and Salt Fires and flooding reimburses the state, counties, local governments, tribes, and certain private nonprofits (including houses of worship) for eligible costs of disaster-related debris removal and emergency protective measures. PA is available, on a cost -sharing basis, in all five designated areas: Lincoln, Otero, Rio Arriba and San Juan counties and the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

• Under the direction of the state, private contractors have removed 146,000 cubic yards of debris from impacted areas. This is the equivalent of 14,000 dump trucks lined up end-to-end, stretching 38 miles - the distance between Ruidoso and Tularosa, NM.

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, to date, has settled claims for homeowners and businesses totaling more than $1.74 million.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $13.62 million in long-term, low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations. Of that amount, more than $11.5 million was approved for homeowners and renters; the rest is approved for businesses.

Applicants may apply at https://lending.sba.gov. Business owners also may apply in-person by visiting SBA Business Recovery Center at the Ruidoso Public Library. The deadline to apply to SBA for property damage is Oct. 19, 2024. The deadline to apply for economic injury is March 20, 2025.

How to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

The first step for individuals and households to receive assistance is to apply to FEMA for federal assistance. There are no costs involved to apply for or receive FEMA assistance. There are four ways to apply:

• Go online to disasterassistance.gov/
• Download the FEMA Appfor mobile devices at fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. MT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
• Visit the Disaster Recovery Center operated by the state of New Mexico and FEMA at the Horton Complex, 237 Service Road, Ruidoso, NM. Hours are., Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance, visit youtube.com/watch= WZGpWI2RCNw.

The deadline to apply to FEMA federal disaster assistance is Oct. 19, 2024.

For more information about FEMA's Individual Assistance program, visit  www.fema.gov/assistance/individual. 

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