FEMA trailers on their way to Ruidoso; at least 856 homes lost
Firefighters work along the roadway on June 18, 2024, fighting the South Fork Fire. (Courtesy of InciWeb.gov)
Just more than a month after the destruction of South Fork and Salt fires in the Ruidoso area, the federal government has agreed to provide temporary housing, state officials said Wednesday.
Gen. Miguel Aguilar, who heads the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said at an interim legislative committee meeting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the state’s request for temporary housing on Tuesday.
“That will allow us to start the piece of bringing in FEMA trailers for those that need them,” he said.
People who lost homes in the 2022 Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fires faced hurdles to direct housing on their lands, with more than a dozen withdrawing from the FEMA housing program after encountering issues.
Aguilar said the state has been “more forward-leaning” in the community and said recovery is moving faster than the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fires.
“I know the city of Ruidoso started hearing that because they’re getting a lot of: ‘Hey, we’re better off than what they were, but it’s still not fast enough,’” Aguilar said.
The process to secure housing has been slow and frustrating, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said in an interview with Source NM. He said he’s asked repeatedly whether FEMA could bring in temporary housing units.
“My people are treading water. They’re couchsurfing,” he said. “We’ve got some in hotels. We’ve got them spread out. We’re trying not to lose them forever, because we need them to work and live here.”
In the July 4 request for direct housing to FEMA, state officials said 856 homes were destroyed, a number that has not previously been reported. Previous estimates were that 500 homes were destroyed. And more homes could be lost, the state warned.
“Additional impacts continue to occur due to severe mudflow and debris flow, and incoming reports indicate that additional residents may require disaster housing,” the letter stated.
It’s not clear how many of the 856 homes were second homes. Only people who lost their primary residence are eligible for direct housing, according to FEMA guidelines.
The request asks for Transportable Temporary Housing Units, which, according to FEMA, could mean manufactured homes or trailers.
Currently, the state is looking to place all the FEMA trailers or mobile homes on one site. That decision is driven in part by the city’s zoning codes, but also for faster placement, said Ali Rye, the state director at the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
In order to put the trailers or mobile homes on private properties, which FEMA tried to do after the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire, FEMA would survey properties and ensure that they don’t face future flooding risks and are hooked up to utilities. That would slow down the process, Rye said.
“The village has a certain timeline they’re looking at – they want to get those houses in yesterday,” Rye said. “In order to make that work, it’s a lot quicker for us to put units onto a mobile home park than it is for us to put them on individual properties.”
Source NM reporter Patrick Lohmann contributed to the reporting of this article.
For more information
To learn more about direct housing and individual assistance, visit the FEMA page on the South Fork and Salt fires.
Assistance with applications is available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturdays at Disaster Recovery Centers located at the Mescalero Apache School or the Ruidoso Horton Complex.
DR-4795 Direct Housing Request Letter
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