New Mexico lawmakers are urging President Trump to approve an emergency declaration for catastrophic flooding that has left communities, including tribal nations, underwater.
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) wrote a letter to Trump dated Oct. 25, asking him to expedite the state’s emergency request.
“It is imperative that the federal government provides direct and immediate assistance to support local and state efforts to respond to the historic and ongoing flooding,” the senators wrote.
Heavy rainfall late last week raised water levels on the San Juan River, Rio Chama, and Animas River, flooding San Juan, Rio Arriba, Cibola, and Sandoval Counties, as well as Acoma Pueblo, Jicarilla Apache Nation, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Zia Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo.
The National Weather Service reported that the San Juan River is at its highest levels since 1909.
The flooding is estimated to have affected 160,000 residents, prompting several evacuation orders and at least 30 swift-water rescue operations. Initial assessments indicate that as many as 18,000 homes in San Juan County alone may be underwater. The combined estimates for the cost of the emergency response, at the time of the State’s request, was already $4.5 million; an additional $13.7 million is projected for the coming days.
The State of New Mexico is responding to this severe flooding while continuing to manage the effects of another critical flood event that began last month. Both events are severely straining local and state response capabilities, as they are drawing on the same personnel, equipment, and financial resources and overwhelming the State’s ability to response and recover.
Direct Federal Assistance is desperately needed for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assistance with debris removal, damage assessments, and technical evaluation of damaged infrastructure, U.S. Geological Survey assistance with flood monitoring, modeling, and emergency analysis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assistance with drinking water testing and technical support, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for large-scale mass care, sheltering, and the direct distribution of essential resources, including drinking water.
