From left: U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales and Rep. Melanie Stansbury attend a press conference in Ruidoso after devastating floods hit the town earlier in the week. Danielle Prokop/Source NM
From left: U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales and Rep. Melanie Stansbury attend a press conference in Ruidoso after devastating floods hit the town earlier in the week. Danielle Prokop/Source NMcca

Following her request for a federal emergency declaration, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday afternoon she had received partial approval for immediate assistance for urban search and rescue teams and support staff for the incident management team.

“This federal declaration is a critical first step, but it’s not everything Ruidoso needs and deserves,” the governor said in a statement. “We will continue working with the federal government for every dollar and resource necessary to help this resilient community fully recover from these devastating floods.”

Still pending approval, according to the governor’s office:
direct financial assistance for individuals, households, and businesses in the affected areas of Lincoln and Valencia counties, including grants for:repair or replacement of homes destroyed in the disasternecessary expenses and essential needs including medical, dental, funeral, personal property, and transportation costsone-time payment for emergency supplies including water, food, first aid, breastfeeding supplies, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items, and fuel for transportationtemporary housing including hotels, staying with family or friends, or other suitable options for displaced residentstransitional sheltering assistancefederal reimbursement for emergency work, including debris removal for Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, and Valencia countiespermanent repair of disaster-damaged facilities and public infrastructure for Chaves, Lincoln, Otero and Valencia counties

The governor’s office also noted the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is actively working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct preliminary damage assessments.

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) who also visited Ruidoso for a news conference Thursday morning noted in a news release the state’s entire congressional delegation had urged President Donald Trump to sign the emergency declaration.

“The impacts of this historic flood require federal resources for adequate recovery and ongoing mitigation efforts, there’s no other way around it,” Vasquez said in a statement. “Working with local, state, and federal officials, we successfully unlocked crucial disaster funding to address the immediate needs of recovery operations.”

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