Four New Mexico Counties and Five Tribal Communities Receive Federal Flood Emergency Assistance; Governor Makes $8.25 Million in State Funds Available
New Mexico — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made federal disaster assistance available to the state of New Mexico to supplement emergency response efforts for severe storms and flooding that began on October 22. The assistance covers Cibola, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan counties and five tribal communities: Acoma Pueblo, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, Laguna Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo and Zia Pueblo. Federal assistance will be provided as direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures at 75 percent federal funding, and the state may request support from federal agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for debris removal and damage assessments, the U.S. Geological Survey for flood monitoring, the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water testing, and FEMA for mass care, sheltering and drinking water distribution.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed executive orders making $8.25 million in state funding available for flood response, including $750,000 for the National Guard's flood response in San Juan County and $7.5 million for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management's disaster response. The governor's office said the federal government granted the emergency declaration only in part and did not grant reimbursement for debris removal and emergency protective measures already carried out by the state, counties and tribal nations. Once damage is assessed, the governor will again request a Major Disaster Declaration to seek that reimbursement and federal recovery help, with plans to include Santa Fe and Socorro counties. Whether assistance is expanded further will depend on additional damage assessments.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：新墨西哥州法明顿一带阿尼马斯河与圣胡安河航拍（资料图）。Dicklyon 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Aerial view of the Animas River and San Juan River near Farmington, New Mexico (file photo). By Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
