Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire

Last fiscal year, the U.S. Forest Service conducted planned burns on just under 2 million acres, an agency record. In the wake of last year's Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon disaster, which began as prescribed fire, many in New Mexico are nervous when such burns come near their homes.

The wildfire crisis in the United States is urgent, severe and far-reaching. So says a Congressional committee report that came out last month, which also noted federal agencies estimate the total cost of wildfire nationwide is on the order of tens to hundreds of billions every year. And strategies to mitigate the risk in New Mexico rely on getting communities on board.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA, Deanne Criswell is in New Mexico this week, visiting the Calf Canyon/Hermit's Peak burn scar.

After a long wait, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a final set of rules for New Mexicans claiming compensation after the Calf Canyon/Hermit's Peak fire.

Although nearly $4 billion was appropriated by Congress for the compensation program, only a small percentage of that has been paid out. The Legislative Finance Committee got an update on Tuesday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

The grant comes from the publicly funded nonprofit the Legal Services Corporation which announced on Monday, Aug. 14 that it was directing the money to help low-income New Mexicans who survived the fires and subsequent floods of 2022.

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez says the news about how the Cerro Pelado fire began was not unexpected.

Victims of last year's Calf Canyon/Hermit's Peak fire will now be eligible for five years of flood insurance, with premiums paid for by the federal government.

The U.S. Forest Service scheduled two prescribed burns last week in the southwest part of the state despite a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service. Ultimately the agency burned the day before, but not the day of the warning. However, officials also said a new state law does not apply to the federal agency.

The Reserve Ranger District of the Gila National Forest began a prescribed fire on Tuesday at the southwestern part of the state – despite a red flag warning due to start on Wednesday for that quadrant of New Mexico.