Republican Legislators Secure Emergency Flood Relief for Hidalgo County

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 13 September 2022 13 September 2022

img 1920Representative Terrazas at a community meeting in Virden, New Mexico held in response to the farm floods.

SANTA FE—Today, the Governor's office announced that Hidalgo County was to be included in the latest emergency declaration for severe flooding. Counties in southwest New Mexico were devastated by the second largest wildfire in New Mexico history, the Black Fire, earlier this year. Now this season's monsoon flooding has caused further environmental devastation with historic flash flooding in the burn scar.

"To see the towns and forest that I grew up in destroyed has been a gut wrenching experience," said Senator Crystal Diamond (District 35-Elephant Butte). "I am glad to see Hidalgo County specified in today's emergency declaration. Ignorance of the vast impact of these floods beyond Silver City is only missed by politicians disconnected from our people. I am glad to have dedicated public servants from my corner of the state who partnered with me in elevating this issue to the executive. I hope to see access to these funds extended to Sierra County and Catron County who were also badly damaged by recent flooding."

In the original emergency declaration issued last Thursday, only Grant County was listed as eligible for emergency aid despite the burn scar's impact on surrounding counties. Senator Diamond, Representative Dow, and Representative Terrazas all made public and personal appeals to the executive to have the order amended to include Hidalgo, Sierra, and Catron Counties in the declaration. As of today Sierra and Catron counties are working to have decelerations signed in order to gain access to federal relief funding.

"Upon first glance, what's been lost in the fires and the floods may seem replaceable and tragically unavoidable," said Representative Luis Terrazas (District 39-Silver City). "Some people in Santa Fe seem to believe a few dollars to replace material goods is good enough. What is missed by the Santa Fe elite is the compounding impact of lockdown policy, devastating wildfires and historic flooding on our community. Bad forest and economic policy have destroyed generational ranch land, closed small business for good and ended family legacies in our community. I am glad that the executive heeded our advice, but this is a bandaid on a wound that they caused. There is still a lot of work to do."

"Historic mudslides and flooding are unfortunately just the latest symptom of the perennial neglect given to the bootheel of this state. I'm happy that my communities are getting the access to resources they deserve and so desperately need," added Representative Rebecca Dow (District 38-Truth or Consequences).

Attached below is the declaration.


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