About half of the money set aside earlier this year by New Mexico lawmakers to help cities and counties recover from a historic wildfire has been allocated by the state.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announced Wednesday that nearly $47 million in no-interest loans have been approved for road repairs and culvert restoration in San Juan and Mora counties. The counties were hit hard by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in 2022. The blaze — the largest in the state's recorded history — was sparked by prescribed burn operations conducted by the U.S. Forest Service.
Now, residents in the burn scar are preparing for another season of post-fire flooding.
Lujan Grisham also issued 21 executive orders Tuesday for emergency funding totaling more than $15 million for wildfire recovery work and to reimburse other states that helped during the initial response.