Federal aid coming to New Mexican wildfire evacuees
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden approved federal aid for areas affected by this fire, which means more support for New Mexicans.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden approved federal aid for areas affected by this fire, which means more support for New Mexicans.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden approved federal aid for areas affected by this fire, which means more support for New Mexicans.
The combined Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fire grew to more than 168,000 acres with just 20 percent containment on Friday. We also know that 16,000 households have been evacuated because of the fire, and 170 homes have been destroyed.
The evacuation center in Las Vegas still has families coming in looking for assistance. Now, these families will have access to federal help. Earlier this week, President Joe Biden approved federal aid for areas affected by this fire, which means more support for New Mexicans.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says, "Individual assistance can be up to $500. That's more immediate relief. The second aspect of this federal assistance is to have actual recovery centers on the ground."
Sandy Eslinger is a federal officer who is in New Mexico to help with that aid. Eslinger said, "We're looking at forming these disaster recovery centers, and we're going to have folks in the communities continuing to assist with the registration."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the most important thing for those who need assistance is to register online at www.disasterassistance.gov.
FEMA also has teams on the ground here coming to shelters like the evacuation center in Las Vegas to help families register for that help in person.
You can also register for assistance by calling the number on your screen here 1-800-621-3362.